


The Anomaly  of Ace

by shockandlock



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, M/M, Suicide, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 01:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 36,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4415906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shockandlock/pseuds/shockandlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robots used to be a part of every day life, but after an incident one year ago that separated him from his family, Marco has no problem expressing his distaste for them. He's not the only one either. During a chance encounter helping out someone with Marines, he discovers his newest traveling companion is, in fact, one of them. But a promise is a promise, and he already told Ace that he could come with him. Will these two ever learn to get along? Written for opscifiandfantasy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this project for months, and nursing the idea for even longer, so I'm proud that I was finally able to write this. I hope you all enjoy this! This was inspired by a number of things. One of them was a prompt and another was a video game character of all things. I also may or may not have watched Astro Boy when writing parts of this.
> 
> Extremely important: I've written part between chapters called interludes, which are chronologically backwards (just saying this now, so it's hopefully less confusing later).
> 
> Thank you InvitingNonsenseWorld for listening to me rant about this and helping me some things. Also thanks to lunarshores for beta reading all of this in the amount of time that she did!

"You know, people would consider what we're doing a crime of nature."

"I know, I know, Koala," Sabo responded absentmindedly, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He would've waved this off, but instead continued to type away on his computer, screen glowing across his face inside his dark lab. His pupils moved from image to image, analyzing the information to make sure things from his project were running smoothly.

"I'm sure you do, but you don't have to ignore me," Koala complained. Leaning against the edge of the desk. She suddenly yelped, hand slipping on a loose paper and almost making her fall to the ground. Thankfully, she caught herself at the last second. "Take a break to clean in here once in a while! Geez!"

While Sabo usually liked to keep things neat inside the lab, there was no time for him to do so during this particular project. He had been slaving over this for nearly a year now, and there would be time for cleaning when he was finished. He didn't dare ask Koala to do it. She was his partner, not his maid.

"Sabo, are you actually listening to me right now?"

He paused, fingers hovering over the keyboard, and turned towards her. It would be unfair to ignore her, though in actuality he was listening perfectly fine. "Yeah," he said. "I'm listening."

"Good!" Koala exclaimed. She pulled up a chair and plopped down into it. "Maybe we can actually think this through now."

"You're not going to stop me now," Sabo declared, resisting the urge to turn back to his computer. If she was only stopping him to nag him, then there was no point. "I'm not stopping, not after this long, not after I've worked this hard."

"That's not what I'm trying to say!" She insisted. Koala knew how important this work was to Sabo, and she didn't have the heart to stop him. In fact, she was even helping with it since she wanted this to succeed too. They were friends too after all, but there were still problems. "What if it fails? We'll never see him again! Sabo-"

"You know I want to see him much more than you do!" he shot back, making her quiet. "He's my brother!" It was unusual for Sabo to burst out, but he was human, and his work, as much as he wanted to complete it, stressed him out from time to time.

"Hey," Koala called, attempting to calm him down. "I'm sorry. I never meant to doubt you."

Sabo's breathing began to calm. "Don't apologize," he said. "No one has ever done this before, so I understand why you would have your doubts."

"You're one of the only ones who's ever had access to the guy's research, so I'm not very surprised."

"We have Rayleigh and the old man to thank for that. He may be crazy at times, but I'm glad he let me see all this stuff, even if it put his career in danger."

Koala leaned back in her chair, shrugging her shoulders. "I think he was just proud that you wanted to do something more worthwhile than 'wreck shit up', and I quote."

"You know how Luffy is." Sabo grinned, thinking about his little brother with fondness. "He's making a name for himself, and he's happy. Besides, with the way he sees things, the future looks pretty bright ahead, even if he does 'wreck shit up' as you say."

"I guess you're right about that," Koala giggled. "He makes friends with just about anyone, so the future is bound to be good, especially for him."

"Yeah." Sabo nodded. "I'm proud of him. He never cared what his friends were, and that's why he can live with no worries when we're finished."

"Though not everything will be fine," she pointed out.

"That's why we have to work hard too when this is over."

She too nodded in agreement. It would have been nice to take a break, but they had actual jobs to get back to, and their boss wouldn't be too happy with them if they took any longer.

_"Data transfer 85% complete."_

They broke out of their conversation and turned back to the console. The program Sabo was using only alerted them during a milestone in their work. He typed quickly, pulling up a new window to view the progress of his experiment.

"Mind if I take a look?" Koala asked.

Sabo wasn't sure what to say. Every detail was exactly as he remembered it, which should have been impossible considering the circumstances. It was almost unreal, seeing him again. Sabo hadn't cried since he was little, but he could have sworn there was something wet running down his cheek.

"Are you crying?" he heard Koala ask.

"They're tears of joy," he insisted, wiping them away with the base of his thumb.

"If you're like this, then just imagine how Luffy will react!"

"He'll be sobbing like a baby!" Sabo mused aloud, grinning at the image of his brother's joy.

He could imagine someone else's feelings, much more intense than Luffy and his own, and it seemed that Koala knew exactly what he was thinking.

"What about that guy? How do you think he would feel?"

Sabo had never met the man in question, so he wasn't completely sure of his exact reaction. One thing he was sure of though was that the man would be overjoyed. After all, despite being strangers, Sabo was doing this for him too. He owed it to him for giving his brother so much happiness.

"What was his name again?" Koala wondered.

"Marco," Sabo answered immediately. There was no way he could forget it, not after hearing it so many times when processing those memories. The man was quite well known anyways, and his abilities made Sabo quite the fan. "One of Whitebeard's men."

"Duh! The Phoenix, right?" she exclaimed on realization. "I can't believe I forgot that!"

"To be fair, I've watched the memories more than you have."

"You have," she admitted. "I didn't have time to, but maybe..." Koala began to trail off.

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I watch them?"

"I don't see why not." Sabo could practically see the shine in Koala's eyes as he said that. She complained to him about feeling left out when he watched the memories the first time though. "Besides, this is part of the final step. It'll help pass the time." He pulled up a set of files, preparing them. Koala pulled her chair closer.

"Don't worry," Sabo whispered. "This will all be over soon, and then you can see him again."


	2. "Normal" Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabo thinks Ace gets in too many fights.

"You attract too much attention sometimes."

"Yeah, yeah," Ace muttered, eyes refusing to meet Sabo's as he fixed up the damage on his cheek. This wasn't the first time Sabo nagged him about such things, and surely it would happen again.

"I don't like to give you orders," Sabo continued not stopping his work, "but would it kill you to stop picking fights now and then?"

"Can't die," Ace countered.

Sabo rolled his eyes, pulling away and setting down the tube in his hand. "There's that sarcasm we love about you. Anyways, just be glad Luffy wasn't around. He probably would have gotten involved too if he was."

"You know I wouldn't let that happen." The fight had taken place in a bar after all, and Luffy wasn't old enough to get in. On top of all that, that had been Ace's fight. He wouldn't let Luffy fight it for him.

"Of course you wouldn't, but it never hurts to warn you."

"Then just tell me not to do it."

"I won't stop your curiosity. It would be inhuman of me," Sabo said. He turned away, and Ace noticed that his hand was twitching, something that happened when he was uncomfortable, and why wouldn't he be? The twitch, the dark undertone of his voice, the sad look in his eyes Ace briefly saw before he turned away: he was thinking of his parents, people who had squashed his own curiosity with their inhumanity.

A sinking feeling resonated within Ace. Was this guilt? He had no way of knowing, so all he could do was assume that he was correct. He was feeling guilty, strangely enough. He was supposed to be the older brother, wasn't he? At least, that's what Sabo always told him. "Sorry," he apologized reaching out to comfort Sabo, but before his arm reached, he was stopped.

Sabo faced him again. "Don't be." Hi sadness had vanished, a kind smile replacing it. "I guess we're pretty similar in some ways, don't you think?"

"Why do you say that?" As close as they were, Ace wasn't sure if he could have called them similar.

"We hate our parents-" Sabo was quickly cut off by Ace's snarl.

"You could hardly call  _that man_ my parent." Ace had never known him, but was that he hated him.  _He_  was the reason that Ace held this curiosity, this doubt. He was the reason Ace was fighting all the time. "I don't have any parents."

"Then join the club!" Sabo grinned, seemingly unfazed by Ace's anger. He himself had abandoned the scum that gave birth to him years ago, and Luffy didn't even know he had parents. He was too innocent for his own good, but that's exactly why Ace was tasked with looking after him. Ace thought Luffy could look after himself every now and then though, despite his recklessness. For the most part Ace let Luffy do what he wanted, but Sabo was the one who worried.

Still, they were brothers, yet Ace wasn't sure that he wanted to be a part of this "club" as Sabo called it. He had a point though since Ace refused to call that man his father, but it would be strange to call any man his father considering the circumstances he was under.

The fact that Luffy and Sabo were there for him was all that Ace needed, even if he was limited, even if he wanted his freedom just as much as others like him. Besides, what would he even do if he was free? Someone like him couldn't do much of anything.

Well, there was at least one thing he wanted to do. The mere thought of it lifted him up and made him feel as if he was floating. It brought a smile to his face, a strange fluttering-

"Ace!" Sabo called, bringing his attention back.

Ace rubbed the back of his head. "Er- yeah?"

"Did you hear me? Start on dinner please. Luffy will be back soon."

He nodded, hopping off the table, though it's not as Sabo would have seen him when he was turned towards the computer monitors. The metallic floor of the lab rang underneath his feet as he wiggled his fingers and toes, glad that everything was still working exactly as it had been. Thankfully, the punches he threw earlier weren't enough to break, but even if it had, Sabo would have fixed him right up.

Ace left the lab by climbing up the staircase. The actual house was quite small, so Sabo's lab being built underground helped to save space. Unfortunately, this didn't help with the cluttered mess, Ace mused as he carefully cleaned a pot from the sink out with a sponge. The dishes were piling up again, but it wouldn't be home without the mess. Koala nagged them to clean it every once in a while, but none of them really listened.

Ace was almost finished cooking when Luffy burst through the door happily shouting, "Food!" Before Ace knew it, Luffy was next to him, reaching over to try and get to the beef stew simmering on the stove.

"Oi! I'm not done yet!" He barked, shoving his brother's face away. "Just wait. Didn't Sanji make some food for you or something?"

"Sanji had work today," Luffy whined, slinging an arm around Ace's shoulders in an attempt to get close to the meal. This didn't surprise Ace at all. He wouldn't want to cook if someone kept devouring what he was making while he was making it. Thankfully, Sabo didn't do this, and Ace tended to cook meals before Luffy got home so incidents like this could be prevented.

Not for the first time, he found himself musing over the fact that nothing would get cooked if he ate the meals he made.

"Can you get Sabo? I'm almost finished."

"Sure!" Luffy grinned. He bounced away, practically stampeding down to the lab. Ace chuckled to himself as he moved the pot and set the table. Luffy was always enthusiastic.

"Something smells good," Sabo commented as he entered the room. Luffy was dragging him by the arm.

"Thanks, I guess," Ace shrugged. "You don't need to tell me that every time though."

"I want to. You need to know." Sabo smiled. "Anyways, let's eat!"

"Thanks, Ace!"

 _'Humans are strange,'_ Ace thought as he watched his brothers dig into the meal.  _'But I guess that's just what I have to deal with, being a robot and all.'_


	3. Koala- Searching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koala encounters some unexpected obstacles.

**2nd Interlude**

Koala carefully slinked through the streets, making sure to avoid the investigating Marines. They were being much more meticulous than usual, she noted, though it made sense considering what just transpired. They were only making sure there was no one else suspicious on their property. Anyone would.

Unfortunately, that also meant they were, though unintentionally, guarding exactly what she was trying to get her hands on. Damn them. Damn Sabo too for being busy with other things and leaving her alone to take care of this, though she couldn't really blame him. Someone had to do it, and only she and Sabo knew how to handle the thing properly. She was lucky that the carrying case Sabo designed was still where he left it after the Marines ransacked the brothers' house, though of course she had been tasked with retrieving that as well.

Koala squatted low to hide herself and carefully peered around the corner of her hiding space. She pulled back quickly, cursing under her breath. There were Marines just around the corner. Any fights would waste time and attract attention, but at this point, it seemed unavoidable.

Koala was about to round the corner to knock them out, but stopped when one Marine began speaking. She couldn't help listening.

"Thank god, it's dead."

She knew who they were talking about right away.

"Idiot. It was never alive to being with. You can't call something dead if it wasn't alive in the first place."

"Good point. What would you call it then?"

"Destroyed. Scrapped. Whatever, but now maybe it could be recycled for something useful."

Hearing the smugness in the man's voice, she just knew he was smirking. It would be nice to just punch that smirk off his face, but she continued to listen for a while longer.

"That is if they don't want to put those scraps on display. It's a nice trophy. That one guy already has a part."

That was the last straw. Luckily, the Marines weren't much of a challenge for her. She took them out easily and reached her destination.

The thing she was looking for was covered with a sheet, but surprisingly, no one was directly guarding it. She pulled it off in a single motion, not bothering to even glance at the face underneath- she had to move quickly after all. She pressed her fingers against the area where she knew the panel was, and it opened up. To her surprise, the core inside still pulsed with light, even though it should've been dull.

"He was right," Koala whispered to herself, astonished at what she was looking at. She shook her head, stopping her thoughts since she was still tight on time. Quickly, she removed the core and deposited it into the pouch Sabo gave her, leaving the scene soon after.

Once Koala deemed herself a safe enough distance away, she pulled out her phone, scrolling to her companion's name in her contacts list.

"I got it," she reported immediately.

Instead of a proper response, she heard him hum absentmindedly.

"Are you even listening?" she asked with a sigh.

"I am!" Sabo insisted from the other end. "I'm just a bit preoccupied at the moment." Papers ruffled into the microphone loudly.

"I thought you looked at the blueprints earlier," Koala sighed. "Once I get back, we'll have to start working right away, you know."

"I know! It's just taking a while. These notes really are fascinating. No wonder they called him a genius."

"That's great and all, but make sure you're actually processing it, okay? See you later."

Koala wasn't expecting someone to swing a knife towards her once she hung up the phone. Luckily, she dodged it with jump in the right direction.

"Why are you here?" the girl holding a knife asked.

"Calm down, Haruta," the person next to them hissed, but Koala could see that they too held a weapon.

"Izo, the area's off-limits. She might be a scavenger. She might've gotten to the body."

Izo? Haruta? Koala recognized those names. What were the Whitebeards doing here?

Well, whatever it was, it didn't matter. She had what she came here for.

"Don't worry," Koala answered. "I was just leaving."

"But-"

"Haruta, we need to move before the Marines come."

Stopping her protest, she glared at Koala one last time, following Izo as he walked away.

 _'What a strange encounter,'_ Koala mused.  _'Whatever. I need to move as well.'_


	4. First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sudden encounter outside of a bar catches Marco off guard, but Ace doesn't seem so bad. Well, that is until Marco finds out the truth, and his behavior is almost unbelievable to Ace.

Marco set his glass back down on the table perfectly inside the ring formed from the condensation. While the stopover in this town was a nice break from his constant search, any attempt to find information here had turned out to be pointless.

Still nothing of use. This search had been going on much too long in his opinion, and it's not like he was getting any younger. He needed to find them soon.

Marco reached into his bag and spread his notes out on the table. To anyone else, the scribbles upon the various scraps of paper would make absolutely no sense, which was convenient for him. Unfortunately, many of the notes had already proved to be false leads, but every scrap of information could still be important.

In reality, Marco was really just grasping at the straws. Sometimes he wished he owned a device to store his notes digitally, but owning such a device would only make him easier to track. He wanted to remain as hidden as possible, which also made his task infinitely harder. Well, it helped that he only had one sheet of notes that was significant.

"Hey, you son of a bitch!"

Marco heard a glass shatter and he sighed. A fight had broken out in the bar he was in earlier too, and he had hoped this one would be quiet. No such luck. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with this.

"Would you like another drink, sir?" a waitress asked, taking his empty glass and setting it on her tray.

"No thank you, yoi," he said. "I would like to pay my tab now."

After Marco handed over the required amount of money, he gathered up his papers and clutched them close to his chest. Sliding his arms through the sleeves of his jacket, he slung his bag over his shoulder and exited the bar. It would be best for him to get back to his hotel room before he headed off to the next town.

Suddenly, someone collided with him full force, sending him and his hard earned research to the ground.

"Shit! Sorry!" the man who bumped into him apologized, staring at the mess he had made. He hurriedly glanced over his shoulder and gasped. Before Marco could respond, the main cursed again and seized his wrist. "Come with me!"

It was too late for any protests. His fate had been sealed as soon as he left the bar, Marco mused

as he was dragged off of the ground and into an alleyway. He wasn't able to get a look at the stranger's face before light became minimal.

"I'm really sorry about this," the man whispered, pressing close to Marco against the wall of the alleyway. Marco was used to situations like this, though usually he was being attacked. Luckily, judging by this man's panicked behavior, he was not after Marco's head. Rather…

"Search, men! We cannot allow  _that thing_  to escape from us after so long!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Marines. Much like this man with him, Marco could not afford to get caught now. Even if he knew how to deal with them quickly, a fight breaking out would only attract more attention.

"Down that alley!" the superior barked at his men. The footfalls of standard issue Marine boots grew ever closer.

The two of them glanced to the end of the alley, and this time it was Marco who cursed. "Fuck."

He hardly noticed the sudden shine of realization in the other's eyes, but he definitely noticed when the stranger grabbed the sides of his face. "Sorry about this. Again," he added, and suddenly their lips were touching so that they were hiding each other's faces with a kiss.

Marco was used to dealing with noisy bars, fights, and Marines, but he certainly wasn't used to being kissed by surprise like this. Not that he could say that he minded. The man's lips were surprisingly soft, Marco quite liked having that muscular frame pressed against his own. He couldn't help himself when he brought his hands up to run them through the dark hair that blended into the shadows of the night. There was a slightly metallic taste in the kiss, but it was strangely addicting to Marco.

"Damn it! There's nothing here!"

With Marco and the stranger were preoccupied with their  _activity,_ they looked like a normal, albeit horny, couple to the Marines, though the flickering light of the alley helped a lot. The hurried Marines ignored them and left swiftly, leaving them to their heated make out session.

Eventually, they parted for air only once they were certain the Marines were long gone. Marco was left breathless, but amazingly, his companion seemed unfazed. Maybe he was used to hiding from the Marines by making out with complete strangers. They stared at each other for a while, unsure of what to say. Eventually, the handsome stranger broke the silence between them with another, "Sorry about that again."

Marco smiled gently. "No problem, yoi," he said. "You've apologized enough, and besides, I understand considering  _who_  was after you. I've had quite a few run-ins with the Marines in the past myself. Just one thing though." He paused. "I like to know the names of the people who kiss me like that."

The stranger smiled back at him. "My name is Ace."

"Marco. Nice to meet you, Ace." He shook Ace's hand. Though the light above them was still flickering, Marco could finally get a decent look at Ace's face. There were freckles splashed across his cheeks and a shine in his dark eyes, giving him a young look. Ace reminded Marco of his own younger siblings, especially in his current situation. Marco remembered that many of them were running from their own troubles when he first met them. That's how they all became a family, so he couldn't stop himself.

The road was pretty lonely though, right?

"If you still need help hiding from the Marines, then I'd be more than happy to help you out, yoi," Marco offered.

"Really?"

Even in the flickering light of the alleyway, Marco could see Ace's simple smile grow into a hopeful grin that warmed his heart. "Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to me! I don't really know where to go right now, and my brother just told me to run, and-"

Marco chuckled, cutting Ace off. "It's only natural, yoi."

"You don't know how much this means to me!"

"Don't worry about it. I just need to get something I dropped earlier."

"Oh yeah." Ace rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Whoops. Sorry about that."

"Didn't I say that you've apologized enough?" Marco asked amusedly. "Now let's go. I think the coast is clear."

They took a quick look around the corner, and sure enough, there were no more Marines in sight. They ducked out of the alleyway, Marco pulling his hood over his head and holding Ace close to hide their faces. You never knew who was watching.

When they arrived back at the entrance of the bar, Marco was not pleased with what he saw. His notes were indeed where he had dropped them when he had collided with Ace, but they were absolutely ruined: worn and torn by the shoes of pedestrians, covered in mud. All of the information Marco had gathered was gone.

"Shit," he cursed, letting go of Ace. He bent low to the ground, earning some strange looks. The notes were unsalvageable.

"Are you okay?" Ace asked, laying a hand on Marco's shoulder.

"My hard work is all gone," Marco whispered. All the leads on his family were in those notes. With all his jumbled thoughts, would he be able to get a good search going without them?

"Wait!" Ace suddenly exclaimed, seeming to sense Marco's despair. "It's not all gone! I- I may have scanned them when we bumped into each other."

 _Scanned?_ Marco snapped his head towards Ace, eyes wide.

There was a glow behind Ace's own eyes. How had he not noticed it before? Along with the metallic taste earlier, that meant that…

_Ace was a robot._

Memories quickly flooded into his brain, filling with him with regret from a time he'd rather forget. He jerked away from Ace's hand, ignoring the look of concern. It was artificial anyways: he'd remembered that much from  _them_ and the time they spent with his family. It didn't mean a thing now.

"Is… is something wrong, Marco?" Ace asked hesitantly.

"You're a robot, yoi." The words had come out a lot harsher than he'd intended them to be. For a second, he could have sworn that he saw another emotion pass through Ace' eyes. It vanished almost immediately though, and Ace shrugged. "I thought you knew when you bumped into me earlier."

True, Marco should've been more observant. It wasn't actually too hard to notice, especially after Marco's experiences. He guessed he had been too caught up in the moment to notice, especially with the adrenaline of avoiding the Marines and Ace's having such soft lips.

"Well, I didn't," Marco shot back dryly. It's all he could think of to say.

Ace himself finally backed away from Marco to give him some space. He leaned against the nearby light post in a nonchalant manner. "Whatever. Everyone reacts like this anyways. I'm used to it."

Marco flinched. Was Ace saying that to make him feel guilty? Maybe it was his human appearance, but it was certainly working.

Ace bowed in apology. "I'll leave you alone now. Sorry to trouble you, Marco." He turned and stepped away.

"Wait," Marco blurted out before he could stop himself. He caught Ace's wrists, wondering to himself,  _'What am I doing?'_

' _Well, I need those notes, and…'_

"I already promised I'd help, yoi," he declared. His mind was listing off every single thing that could go wrong from this, even more memories rushing back: ones of his family, his friends, and what happened to Thatch. He wondered what they would all say about this.

But as he already said: he would not go back on his word. Marco was taught to accept things as they came, though this would take time getting used to.

' _Show sympathy,'_  his instincts told him.

"Are you serious?" Ace questioned, shocked expression on his face. He smiled. "I'll make sure to do anything I can to help!"

Ace's eyes were bright, and he looked so hopeful. Marco felt his heart soften a bit.

Suddenly, multiple whispers reminded him of where they were. The longer they stayed here, the higher the risk of someone calling back Marines was. They did look rather suspicious after all.

He took Ace's metallic hand. "Come with me then," he said. "We shouldn't stay here any longer."

* * *

 

Ace was used to the wariness of others. It was only natural considering that he was a robot. He was lucky that he looked human, though he would never thank  _that person_  for that fact. Whenever people would find out, they would turn away with scornful looks. He had hardened to this over time, yet somehow it hurt more when Marco did it.

It was unfair. How could a complete stranger make him feel like that when, in the past, Ace was unaffected by it? Maybe it was the kindness Marco had briefly shown before Ace revealed to him what he was.

Ace was honestly surprised when Marco's offer still stood. He had seen the emotions in Marco's eyes: sadness, anger. It could only be due to encountering someone-  _something_ \- like Ace. They were  _special_  after all. There was also the  _incident_ too.

Currently, Marco was leading Ace by the hand. "Where are we going?" Ace asked.

Marco briefly glanced back at Ace before staring straight ahead towards their destination once more. "We're going to my hotel room," he explained. "I'm a…  _traveler."_ Though anyone could tell that he wasn't telling the whole truth, especially Ace since he had ways to sense things like that. Ace didn't prod any further on the subject, though that explained why he had never seen Marco around before.

The hotel wasn't anything great, but Ace hadn't been expecting much in the first place. Though there were a few higher class establishments in the city, there's no way Ace would be allowed in with their security. They didn't like robots- many people didn't. Luckily, the woman behind the desk at their hotel didn't seem to suspect a thing.

Ace could guess that the situation was rather ambiguous.

Marco's room was simple: a bathroom, a small television (some of the lowest tech, he might add), an armchair, and a bed. Anyone could be content with such a setup, but Ace wasn't. He bit his lip, a wave of anxiety washing over him.

The worry that suddenly hit him was impossible to ignore. Ace hadn't noticed it before since he had been busy running from the Marines, but he had no doubt that they went after Luffy and Sabo as well. Damn it. If those bastards dared to lay a hand on his brothers…

"I'm going to get some rest now, yoi," Marco stated, breaking Ace out of his thoughts. Resting sounded lovely to Ace as well. It would be nice to shut down and recharge so he wouldn't have to think about his situation anymore, but that brought another issue to light.

There was only one bed.

"What about me?" Ace blurted out, processors not running fast enough to tell him that the question was a rather bad idea.

Marco raised an eyebrow at him. " _You_ need rest?"

Ace scowled back. "I may be a robot, but I'm not going to sit here and watch you sleep all night!" He was well aware of how creepy that sounded, but to hell with it!

He could've sworn that he saw those half-lidded eyes go wide for a second, but it seemed that Marco was good at gathering his composure. "The armchair will do" he answered bluntly.

Ace's jaw dropped. How could Marco just brush this off so easily?  _'You must be kidding!'_ He fumed silently, plopping down in the armchair nonetheless. It creaked unpleasantly under his weight. Though comfort was never really a big thing for him, Ace hated it already. He glared back at Marco, who seemed comfortable enough in his bed.

"Look, yoi," Marco sighed. "I'm sorry, but there's not much I can do about it now." There was a certain sincerity in his voice that made just a bit of trust return to Ace. Marco probably had his reasons, right?

"I promise that we'll get a bigger room next time, so just try and get some, ah,  _sleep_  for now. We should get up early tomorrow."

"Why?" Ace asked.

"We're leaving the city tomorrow. It's best to do it early so we can make preparations," Marco explained.

_Leaving?_

Ace had almost forgotten that Marco told him that he was a traveler (he  _had_  been pretty vague about it after all). The thought of leaving the place was oddly exciting. He had never left the city, though he was aware he was not built here. There was so much he could do just like he, Lu, and Sabo always dreamed of.

And maybe he could finally-

"Ace?"

"Yeah, Marco?"

"Are you done sitting there staring off into space, or is that a common thing I can expect from you?"

"Jerk," Ace muttered quietly.

"What was that?" Marco questioned.

"Nothing."

"Then go to sleep, yoi," Marco grumbled, turning away from him.

' _Unbelievable!'_ Ace thought.  _'He could at least act a little nicer. At least I look human!'_


	5. Rough Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't going so well with Marco when Ace wakes up.

Ace was vaguely aware of the presence beside him, rousing him from sleep mode. He opened his eyes to see blond hair and lazy eyes that stared back at him blankly. The events of last night flashed through his mind, reminding him of the finer details- not that he had the ability to forget.

"You're up," Marco stated, though he seemed rather apathetic to this fact. He threw something at Ace, covering his head. "Put these on."

"Rude," Ace growled under his breath, removing the thing from his head and staring at it in his hand. "A jacket?" he wondered aloud. The material made crumpling noises in his hands as he examined it. "I don't get cold, you know."

"That doesn't matter, yoi. You'll need it to help you hide since it has a hood," Marco explained.

"The Marines will have a harder time getting a good look at you, so this makes things easier."

It was strange that Marco was able to care and also  _not care_  somehow simultaneously. Ace slid his arms through the sleeves and pulled the hood over his head. "You happy?" he grumbled.

"Very," Marco replied, though his sarcasm was practically dripping.

"Do you always treat people you find on the run like this?" Ace shot back.

Being what he was, Ace was able to sense things humans couldn't with mere sight, but he was pretty sure anyone could see how tense Marco became at those words: the slight clenching of his fists, the way his shoulders became rigid, but Ace was able to see the pain that briefly flashed behind Marco's eyes. A pulse ran through Ace's system, warning him of Marco's anger and the potential danger that came along with it, and he resisted his body's command to step back.

"No," Marco bit coldly. He revealed nothing further on the subject.

This companionship was already going  _great,_ and they hadn't even left yet. It was a wonder that they were tolerating each other as much as they were.

"So where to?" Ace asked, hoping to break the heavy tension between them. He glance around, wanting to look anywhere but Marco. There were a few packed bags sitting near the door. It seemed that Marco was already prepared to leave.

"Why don't you tell me, yoi? You're the one who  _scanned_  the list." Marco seemed to express particular dislike towards this fact, despite the convenience of it. Ace only had himself to blame for doing it though; however, walking out of a bar with a bunch of notes was pretty suspicious, and it was hard  _not_  to stare at them. He just couldn't help himself!

Nonetheless, Ace obeyed Marco's request by pulling up the list. The words flew into his vision, partially obscuring his view of Marco, and he read the name of the next city aloud. He had only heard of the place on other time before, and all he knew was that it was the next stop on the train line.

"Alright then, yoi," Marco said. He picked up one of the bags and slung it over his shoulder. The other he handed to Ace. "These are yours."

Ace took the bag reluctantly and peered inside. "You bought me clothes?" He shook his head. "You really didn't have to do that."

"And how are  _you_  going to do that on your own?" Marco questioned. "I know you need clothes since you're of human form, and I doubt you'd have enough money with you currently to buy enough."

Marco was right. Even just a cursory glance at his clothes informed others around of his run around the city the night before. A set of fresh garments would look a lot less suspicious. Along with that, he wouldn't look as sloppy. He decided to change right there, pulling off his shirt.

But Marco stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm changing," Ace answered bluntly. "Got a problem?"

"Use the bathroom then." Marco gestured towards the closed door harshly.

"Why? It's not like I have anything to hide!" Ace huffed.

"Just do it, yoi!"

Ace rolled his eyes and shoved past Marco to get to the bathroom. It was a pointless argument really, and he didn't quite feel like winning it. They already disliked each other enough.

* * *

Their hasty walk to the train station was filled with awkward silence. They didn't make eye-contact either, choosing to keep their heads down. Fortunately, the station was rather empty, so they found some relief from hiding.

 _Unfortunately,_ the tension between them still hadn't lessened. Instead of trying to converse, Ace just sat on a bench and faced away from Marco, who was buying train tickets. He didn't even say anything once they were sitting side-by-side, waiting for the train.

Even if he was ruining Marco's mood, Ace was determined to not let Marco ruin his. It was easy for him to hide it, but Ace preferred to be expressive, and he did just this by bouncing his legs, restless to leave. His mind was filled with plans of what he would do and the places he would visit.

Marco nudged Ace with his elbow, catching his attention. Ace looked up to see that more people had come into the station, and that the train was pulling in. The exhilaration of escape along with the wonder of impending adventure weighed on him.

"Let's go, yoi," Marco whispered, standing up off the bench and adjusting his bag on his shoulder. Ace nodded and followed. They moved quickly to get a spot in the forming line, and kept their heads down as a precaution.

The entrance to the train seemed so close, only few feet away. The sense of adventure pulled Ace ever closer, and he became more aware of the electric sparks running through his body. He moved forward to take his final step to board.

"Hey, you," someone grunted, and suddenly, Ace was staring at the end of a gun barrel. " _Cargo_ rides in the back."

Ace stumbled back. There was no way. How could this guy tell so easily? He glanced upward, finally noticing the metal detector above the entrance (he hadn't even noticed the annoying beeping). Of course when he was  _finally_  allowed to leave, he would be treated like some sort of package.

The guard jabbed his gun at Ace again. "You listenin'? Go!" he barked. People were beginning to stare and whisper, but even so, Ace refused to move. Yet he also knew the man  _would_ shoot him (his hand was twitching towards the trigger), warnings blaring at him to take action.

"Excuse me, yoi." Ace's gaze snapped towards Marco.

"I don't think this will be a problem."

Ace was filled with hope. Was Marco standing up for him?

"He's my  _escort_  bot."

' _Escort bot?!'_ Ace gaped silently. He never thought that there was anything wrong with escort bots (they were programmed for that purpose after all), but he couldn't help feeling insulted about that

being Marco's default explanation. The casual tone in his voice made things worse too.

"Oh." The guard lowered his gun. "Of course, sir. Proceed."

Ace was still astonished at the fact that the excuse worked as Marco pulled him onto the train. He should have known things would turn out this way.

"You can't blame him, yoi," Marco said, voicing his thoughts. "He's just doing his job, and you know how people feel about your kind."

"I know," Ace sighed. "Of course they would have metal detectors, but honestly, I wasn't expecting it."

"Security wasn't always this high. Things changed after the incident, which I'm sure you know of," Marco explained.

There was no way Ace could forget about the incident. Some details were still foggy to him, but he definitely knew. He nodded slowly but stayed silent.

"We're lucky to have that excuse," Marco continued. "In some cities, they're much stricter, so we'll have to be careful."

"Great. So sooner or later, I'll pretty much be cargo."

"Stop complaining," Marco chided, Ace rolling his eyes in retaliation. "I'll handle it if we ever get to that."

And with that, the conversation was over, Ace turning towards the window. He barely listened to the welcome message playing on the sound system, and he hardly cared what Marco was doing in that moment.

He wouldn't care several times like this afterwards. It was hard to care about someone who kept you locked up all day, but sometimes he got curious about Marco.

And this curiosity might be the thing that would help them connect.


	6. Sabo- There Was Nothing I Could Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabo was certain this was the place: the place where his little brother was.

**3rd Interlude**

This particular area of Sabaody was almost eerily abandoned, but Sabo was certain that this was the right place. The place was exactly as their sources described, and the half burnt-out neon sign that read  _Shakky's Rip-Off Bar_ was enough.

It had taken a lot of work to find Luffy's location, but it was worth it in the end. This 'being chased out of their home' business had been an annoying venture, and really, it had been Sabo's fault in the first place, but he didn't regret a thing.

Who knew he could get in that much trouble from a few simple button presses?

It didn't matter anymore. Dwelling on the past would do no good, and it was time to move. It would be nice to see Luffy again after all this time on the run. He took a step up to the door and pushed it open, wincing when it creaked.

He didn't have much time to look around the place before he saw his brother. Luffy stared back at him, and suddenly his face was buried into Sabo's chest.

Sabo was surprised at how quiet Luffy was being. The room had been quiet enough when he had entered, but with Luffy hugging him, his face buried into Sabo's chest, it was easy to read the atmosphere: a mournful one.

"Sabo!" Luffy finally sobbed. Sabo could feel his overflowing tears soaking through his shirt.

"I know," he whispered, hugging Luffy close. "I know."

He knew exactly why Luffy was like this, and he couldn't deny that he reacted similarly. He was just better had holding in his tears, though he had screamed. Sabo couldn't help it, and he didn't blame Luffy either. The weight of the news was a heavy burden to bear.

He looked up from the embrace to observe the friends Luffy only to see that they were all speechless, unable to console their leader.

"I couldn't do a thing!" Luffy cried out again.

"Hey, hey," Sabo said, attempting to bring Luffy back to reality. "Just cry it out, Lu. Take as long as you need."

The two of them took a seat on one of the couches in the bar. It was a rather empty place. The only people here were Luffy and his friends. There were a minimal amount of seats and only one TV, so it was perfect really.

Eventually, Luffy's sobbing died down into quiet sniffles, but Sabo didn't let go as a gesture of comfort.

"Now, if you're up for it, you can tell me. Start from the beginning if you'd like. You look like you've had some interesting adventures. You don't have to say anything you don't want to."

Luffy didn't cheer up immediately, and it would still take some time for him to completely heal, but Sabo hoped that the slight smile he had on his face meant that talking about his new friends and his adventures was helping even a little bit.

Luffy spent most of his time talking about new friends. The thing about Luffy was that had a remarkable talent for attracting all kinds, and this was evidenced by the unique group he had with him. Sabo and Koala already knew Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and Usopp (he should've known Luffy would drag them along), but Chopper, who was a sort of humanoid reindeer robot, Robin, who was one of the students of the former Oharan research group, Franky, who was a cyborg, and Brook, a skeleton robot, were extremely interesting additions. Sabo wanted to talk to each of them later, especially Robin (orders from than boss).

"Thank you for taking care of my brother," Sabo said, speaking to all his friends. Usually he would have bowed, but he was still on the couch with Luffy. "It's hard for us."

"We understand, man," Frank answered, speaking before anyone else. "I met him before, and he was super."

Luffy had told Sabo that it was normal for Franky to yell that, but he seemed to be reading the mood, thankfully. He was interested in how he met Ace though, even more interested in how Luffy was able to get the owner of the infamous Franky House bar to leave, but that was a story for another time.

"It's a tragedy," Sabo continued, "but we'll move forward somehow. Of course, it's not my choice what you do."

"We'll follow whatever decision Luffy makes," Zoro declared, speaking for the rest of them, though no one seemed to protest this instead choosing to nod in agreement.

Luffy absolutely lit up at those words, and Sabo was unable to contain a smile. "I'll leave you to it then."

At that moment, someone left the back room, and he was surprised when they started speaking. "So you're Sabo."

"Old-man Rayleigh!"

Sabo knew who this was: the round glasses, the white hair and wrinkles that came with age, and that slight smirk he had seen so many times in the news years ago. It was impossible for him not to considering the newscasts all those years ago, and he had messed with too much of  _that man's_  research not to.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to have a little chat with you."


	7. Not so Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few choice words leads to a better situation.

**Marco**

Marco pretty much kept to himself the first week or so, maybe two. Sometimes they would spend a few days in a place, sometimes less, but they never really discussed anything about it. Ace would stay in the room, and Marco would go out to continue his search for information. It's not like Ace had anything he needed to do anyways. He would be safer staying in the hotel room, wherever they were.

He wasn't quite sure why though since before, Ace would just glare at him. It was a rather nice change though. While he didn't particularly like Ace, traveling like this was just awkward, and it was hard not to think about it when they were sitting on a train in silence.

Ace was staring out the window like he usually did. They never talked on train rides. They hardly talked at all really, so they didn't know much about each other.

There was no point in trying now, Marco mused, even if he did feel guilty for not doing so.

Well, whatever thought-processes Ace had going on in his "brain" so to speak, Marco didn't feel like interrupting it now, so instead of dwelling on it, he pulled out a book- his favorite, one that Thatch had given him. He started from page one, as he always did. There was something wondrous about reading his favorite book over and over. It brought him away from all the stuff he was going through, and he never got tired of it.

Reading was his perfect pastime, and before he knew it, the train was pulling into the station.

Barely listening to the announcer's voice, he put his book back into his bag and turned to Ace, who seemed to be rousing from whatever trance he had been in. They nodded at each other in acknowledgement and gathered the rest of their things, and soon they were exiting the platform without any particular direction.

"Do you want me to find a hotel?" Ace asked. Marco nodded. Ace was able to do this on the spot, and he had gotten used to it. He had some quite useful abilities, admittedly.

"And then you'll leave me alone again? What do you even do when you're gone if you're just a traveler?"

Marco almost stopped in his tracks. He hadn't expected Ace to ask about his vague answer for his occupation when they first met. Ace hadn't ever done it before. There wasn't much he could say.

There wasn't much he wanted to say.

It's not like it was any of Ace's business.

"That's not important," Marco shot, ignoring the look of protest he received.

"But-"

"Maybe later." Though he wasn't making any definite promises. "Let's just focus on finding a place to stay."

"Fine," Ace sighed, continuing to walk. A glow appeared in his eyes along with the outline of tiny words. Marco was impressed he hadn't crashed into anything. "Decently priced hotel. Two blocks from here."

"Thank you very much, yoi." True to Ace's word, there was a small hotel not far from them. It didn't look like much, but that was fine with Marco. It would cost less this way, and it made them harder to track.

"One room, two beds," Marco requested, walking up to the counter.

The woman behind the counter nodded quietly. She turned to the computer in front of her to type a few things in before handing Marco two keycards and requesting payment. Marco noted the strange look Ace gave him when he pulled out the appropriate amount of money, but the other didn't ask anything. They headed towards the elevator instead, and Ace finally released the question inside of him.

"Are you always carrying that much beri with you?" he blurted out. "I mean, you've done it every single time, so…"

Marco frowned. "Do you really find it that strange?"

Ace shrugged, voicing his next thought. "It's just that, wouldn't you usually use credits for something like a hotel room. How do you even have that much money anyways?" Ace wondered aloud. "It's not like you're working since you're travelling all the time."

While Marco found it perfectly reasonable for someone to travel  _and_  hold a steady job, part of him ignored that thought, interest sparked in something else. His mind was suddenly brought back to the beginning of his travels and even the time before when his fingers would dance across keys and screen effortlessly. Jobs he had done for Pops, obtaining adequate funds, it all came rushing back to him, making a small smile form on his face.

"Marco?" Ace called, waving a hand in front of his face.

Passion swelled inside of Marco, compelling him to answer. "I have a particular way of obtaining money, yoi," he said, grin growing across his features. "Let's just say that not all accounts are as secure as people think."

His answer really seemed to pique Ace's interest. "You rob banks?" he asked.

But Marco shook his head. "You said it yourself, right? When paying for more expensive products, it's more common to use credits. Digital currency is more convenient, but it's also more vulnerable and easier to track," he informed. His eyes shined (though differently than Ace). "So converting credits into beri is the best way to go. And getting into the accounts themselves isn't a problem for me."

Marco watched Ace's expression as he processed the information. "So that means you can hack," he said slowly, though it didn't look as if he'd lost interest yet. "You don't really seem like the type."

"Well, you never know what to expect, especially in this day and age. There's no way I hate all technology, yoi."

Marco could've sworn he heard Ace mutter something, and he had a feeling he knew exactly what it was. He felt his heart sting at the fact that Ace just said, "But you hate me" and tried to move on.

"It's why I need to hide from the Marines as well," he continued. "They know my work quite well. They even gave me a nickname: the Phoenix."

He didn't usually throw that name around, but despite his passion, he never cared much for the name anyways, but looking at Ace, the other seemed to have come to a sort of realization.

"Because no matter how many times they think they've won, you always strike back…" Ace whispered to himself.

Marco's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"Er- well, it's my brother," Ace admitted.

"You have a brother?"

"Sort of. He activated me, and I've been with him and my other brother Lu ever since," Ace explained. "He's also a hacker, so he talked about the Whitebeard family a lot. Said a bunch of stuff about the Phoenix, but I never knew your actual name."

"It's for safety reasons," Marco clarified. "Upper-class bank accounts, official government records- it's nothing to my family, yoi, and even though they know what I look like, it's easier to keep hidden when fewer people know our names."

Ace nodded, but then he asked, "How do I know you're really the Phoenix?"

He didn't blame Ace for his doubt, but anyone would be stupid to try and impersonate someone from Whitebeard's family. Wordlessly, he unzipped his jacket, and unfastened the buttons of his shirt to expose his tattoo, Ace staring in awe. "This is the mark of my family, yoi," he declared.

"I know," Ace acknowledged. "I've seen it before."

He zipped his jacket back up when the elevator doors opened, but Ace still had more to say.

"Hey, you're smiling," he commented. Marco hadn't been aware of it himself.

"Really?" It was strange. Maybe it was because he had gotten lost in his words, just talking about what he used to do with Pops in everyone else.

"Yeah." Ace nodded, his own gentle smile emerging. "I like this side of you."

"What do you mean?"

"The happy side. The one that's not grumpy and hateful all the time."

Marco liked being like this too.

* * *

**Ace**

It was nice to finally get on Marco's good side. Ace knew things weren't completely okay between them, but they were getting there. He had meant what he said when he liked the happy side of Marco, and that seemed to butter him up just a little bit.

It was strange to him that Marco seemed to know his way around technology but hated robots. A lot of people who worked with tech, like Sabo, were quick to defend Ace's kind. It was a bit irritating, but Ace reassured himself that it would get better.

Ace could still tell that Marco was still slightly averse to him though, if leaving the hotel room immediately afterwards like usual meant anything. But something was different this time.

Marco hadn't told Ace to stay in the hotel room, and he had left the spare keycard along with a small sum of money. If this was an invitation to explore the city, then Ace would accept it gratefully. He hated being cramped in the room all day, and exploring was what he wanted to do in the first place.

When Ace got out on the street, he was given the choice of going either right or left. Any sensible person, or robot in Ace's case, would try to find a map first, but he rather preferred wandering around with no direction. While he could easily download a map, that would make things a lot less fun.

The first thing Ace noticed when walking, were the men and women, many with takeout bags, bustling around on the streets. He was reminded that it was only around noon (12:37 to be precise). He had a long day ahead of him: one that he was likely going to be spending alone since Marco was just off doing his own thing. It was nice of him to leave Ace stuff for him to go out though. He could be pretty kind and considerate at times.

While this city didn't seem any special, there was still plenty for Ace to do. It reminded him of when he first explored his own city when Sabo reactivated him. It was a nice feeling: just taking in all the new information. No one paid him any mind, and for a moment, he could feel just like anyone around him.

But being alone with his thoughts was dangerous at times. Seeing all the restaurants, parks, and stores inevitably reminded him that he was not human and that everything he felt was emulated. He wanted to eat delicious foods, but he didn't need to. He wanted to breathe in the fresh air, but he didn't need to. And lastly, he thought longingly while staring at a glowing billboard of his desired destination, he wanted to see the beautiful ocean, but being what he was…

Ace never knew why he had that desire, but it had been inside of him ever since Sabo woke him up.  _That man_  must have put it there, deep within his coding. Thinking about that filled Ace with a certain irritation. Even so, he never found any hatred for this dream of his, though sometimes he wished it would go away. He thought it finally would too, but being whisked away by Marco had sparked it up again.

Thinking sucked sometimes. He wished he had something to take his mind off of it.

As if some force was answering his plea, someone clamped a hand down on his shoulder, startling him. "So," the stranger started, "thinking about something?"

At first, Ace panicked, thinking it was some Marine that caught him, but when he turned around, he saw no uniform. A dark-haired man with a messy beard grinned at him, and it was obvious that he was missing a few teeth.

The man seemed somewhat familiar (Ace couldn't quite place his finger on it), but he dubbed him overall unsettling. Whatever to get his mind off of things though.

"Guys like us shouldn't really have much to think about," he continued.

Ace remained in dumbfounded silence. This guy was a robot too?

"How rude of me." The man offered out a hand. "My name is Teach."

"Ace."

"So you're thinking about the ocean?" Teach asked, gesturing to the billboard above (though the image had already changed). ""You've got quite the ambition there."

This whole thing was strange to Ace- why would someone just go up to a stranger like this?- but he continued the conversation anyways. "I guess so, Ace shrugged. "But it doesn't really matter much. Why do you care?"

"It's interesting to learn about others like me," Teach responded. "A little small talk never hurt anyone."

"Can't argue with that," Ace mused.

They continued to talk like that for a long while, and Teach told him many interesting things, and even gave him a few ideas of what to do about his situation, even if that wasn't his intention.

"You're a pretty cool guy, Ace," Teach cheered, grinning once more. "What do you think about coming with me?" He wrapped a welcoming arm around Ace's shoulders.

The offer was tempting in some ways. Teach treated him nicer than Marco ever had, and on top of that, they were the same.

But he had a promise to keep to Marco. Ace was never one to go back on a promise.

"I have to go," Ace stated abruptly, pushing away. "But thanks for the offer," he added, remembering his manners. With that, he turned away and headed to the hotel without looking back.

If only he did.

* * *

Marco was already there when Ace returned. "Did you enjoy yourself, yoi?" he asked.

Ace nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the beri, by the way."

"That's nice," Marco said, smiling a bit. "Do you mind taking a look at this? I was wondering if you might scan it again, and we can go out later again if you'd like."

"Sure thing!" Ace answered, unable to stop smiling back.

Whatever relationship they had would work with Ace for now, but at least they were trying. At least they were trying.


	8. Sabo- Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were just having a normal family dinner, but apparently, such a thing was not allowed to exist.

**4th Interlude**

"So how was your day, Luffy?" Sabo asked, trying to break the silence of the dinner table. Usually, their family dinners were pretty lively, but things were pretty quiet today. That may have been due to the fact that Ace and Luffy did most of the talking (Luffy with his mouth full of food), but Ace hadn't said a word yet.

Maybe he was still mad at him.

Luffy groaned after swallowing a gigantic bite of food. "It was boring," he groaned. "Everyone was busy today! There was nothing to do!"

Sabo was unfazed by Luffy's complaining. He couldn't blame him after all. Living in such a small city for all this time made things boring, but there wasn't much they could do about the situation. With his lab, travel was hard, and he didn't want to leave Luffy alone. There was also the option of Ace, but leaving the city was dangerous for him as well.

"Ace sure had an interesting day," Sabo mentioned, trying to get his other brother engaged in the conversation. Sure, he felt like a mother trying to make her kids talk about their day at school, but having silence between the three of them was suffocating. "Didn't you?"

"Whatever" he grumbled. "I got into a fight."

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "You should invite me too! Did you win?"

Luffy's wide smile worked like a charm because Ace grinned back. "You know it!"

The two suddenly became engaged in their own conversation, Ace excitedly describing how he beat those guys in the bar. Sabo couldn't help cracking his own smile at their enthusiasm. Nights like this could last forever.

Suddenly, a harsh knocking interrupted Ace in his rather vivid storytelling. Something about the knock made worry pool in Sabo's stomach. It had been a rough, rapid sound. There was no way someone friendly, deciding to join their dinner, was at the door, so when Luffy bounced up to answer it, Sabo yanked him by the arm. He gave Luffy a warning look, shaking his head and pressing a finger to his lips. He glanced towards Ace to make sure he understood.

When he received a nod, he headed to his lab downstairs to take a look at the security monitors he had installed. He didn't trust going up to the front door.

Sabo didn't like what he saw displayed on the monitors: Marines, pointing their guns at the door (no doubt the latest models).

He always knew he would get in trouble for what he had done that day, and now he was facing the consequences. Still, he couldn't bring himself to regret it in anyway.

There was only one thing to do now.

He swallowed heavily, sliding into his chair and working as quickly as possible. If the Marines ever got a hold of any of this, his boss would kill him. All he had to do was transfer the most important files and erase everything else. Simple, right? Well, it would have been if his heart wasn't racing. Finally, he finished, releasing a deep breath. Yanking the flash drive out of the computer, he bolted up the stairs to Luffy and Ace, who were still staring at him in confusion.

"What's going on?" Ace asked.

"Guys, just trust me and listen," Sabo said. "We have to get out of here as fast as possible. Take the back door."

"What? Why?"

"There's Marines outside. We need to go, split up, confuse them, or something, but it's not safe here." Before they could make any further protests, Sabo grabbed both their hands and dragged them towards the back door. "Now!"

"Open up! This is the Marines!"

With widened eyes, seeming to understand the situation now, Ace and Luffy took off running with him. The Marines yelled out when they saw them burst out the back door, but they only picked up their pace. Eventually, Sabo remembered Luffy and Ace's hands slipping from his grip as they let go and went in opposite directions. Little did he know that he wouldn't be seeing them for a long time.

"Koala? Can you meet up with me? Something came up… Yeah. There is fine. See you later, and don't tell anyone."


	9. Improvements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco stood up for Ace before, but that doesn't mean that Ace can't do it was well.

**Marco**

Marco was glad that they were getting along just a little bit better. Maybe that incident really had screwed up his sense of morality. He still didn't know Ace very well, but it was a nice feeling not to just be grumpy all the time. He could practically hear Thatch's words in his ears now.

They still weren't interacting very much, as evidenced by his current situation. They had arrived in quite an interesting city: Water 7. Canals ran through the city, acting as the roads (though they were also used for hydroelectricity). He wondered how Ace was holding up, but with the technology around the city automatically controlling bridges and floodgates, he figured that Ace would be fine.

This was one of the places that Marco wanted to come to the most. The places they had gone before weren''t very notable, so this would be a good opportunity to gather information. It may take more days than usual, but that was fine. Water 7 was a big city, and Ace would have plenty to do in the meantime.

There was a likely possibility that he would find an ally of his family in this city, but he would have to actually start working in order to get information.

Gathering information was just a matter of traveling from bar to bar. Surprisingly, people came and went all day to and from those places, and Marco was just one of those people. It was useful for meeting all sorts, but finding a specific person required a bit of luck.

Considering what had happened to him recently, Marco wasn't sure if he could consider himself as "lucky".

So far he had gathered bits and pieces of information. None of it was about his family directly, but everything helped. Even if he could contact just an ally, that would help.

Marco was never mad that his family's location had become so remote since the incident. His separation had been his own fault after all. It was just a bit frustrating at times, yet there was a sense of pride that came from knowing that his family was so good at concealing themselves. So well that they were rumored to have been dead, but Marco knew better. They were alive, and as soon as Marco made it back to them, they would all make a comeback.

They were good at shocking the world that way.

There still the matter of what would happen to Ace when he was done. That could be handled later though. Marco needed time to think about it, and that was something he didn't have right now.

He still had a few more places to search, at least for today. Knocking out the rest of the bars in Water 7 would be finished tomorrow. People must have thought he was an alcoholic by now, and Ace was possibly included in that group. Marco liked a drink every now and then, especially considering his family, but he knew how to control himself (though he often earned glares for not buying anything at the bars). This was not one of those times though. It was late, and it would be nice to get a drink.

This was the next bar of note: The Franky House.

When he walked in, the first thing he noticed was that it was rather dark. There were strips of colored-lights running along the wall to give the place a unique glow. There were more than several people milling about the place, making it rather loud, but that was fine with Marco. More people meant more information, though he would have to keenly listen to whomever he talked to considering the amount of idle chatter surrounding him.

There seemed to be several floors to the bar, but now that he thought about it, it was more of a club really. He slid into a barstool, noting how the shelves also glowed with neon. "What can I get ya?"

"Sake," Marco answered quickly. It was different from his usual order, but it would do.

The bartender wasted no time at all in pouring his drink, but before he could walk away to take care of other orders, Marco stopped him. "I'm looking for some information."

The bartender turned in interest. "Information?"

Marco gestured to him to come closer and whispered, "It's about Whitebeard, yoi."

The man jerked back, though thankfully not enough to make a scene. Marco noticed that his eyes were wide, as if he was shocked. He was used to that reaction. "No one's heard about him since the incident, and it's not a good idea to talk about that here," he hissed.

Admittedly, Marco wasn't used to that response. It was true that they had vanished since the incident (Marco knew that all too well), but usually it was fine to talk about. He had heard many negative things about his family because of that (and a few people may have gotten beaten up), but never about the incident. "Why not?" Marco asked.

"I've heard of you," the guy continued. "The way you talk… You're part of Whitebeard's family, right? The guys here know what you can do, and let me tell you, they don't appreciate it."

"I knew you looked familiar!" someone yelled. The place went quiet, as a blue-haired man approached Marco. He seemed not to be wearing any pants, but Marco pretended not to notice. It wasn't very important anyways.

"B-boss!" the bartender stuttered.

"You must be Franky," Marco commented. "Pray tell. Am I not welcome here?"

"Well, you see, our kind doesn't take very kindly to hackers," Franky informed smugly. It was then

Marco took to take a good look around. Several pairs of glowing eyes meant that he was surrounded by robots. "Especially  _the Phoenix."_

Marco smirked. It had been a long time since he had been called that name, but it was refreshing. It brought him back to the day he spent with his family, and with his family there had been many tight situations such as this.

"You're aware of what happened with your family and the robots, especially considering  _who_  you are, so I suggest you leave."

"What are you going to do? Beat me up, yoi? Sure, you can try. You don't have  _morals_  anyways."

He saw a fist flying towards him, and he was completely ready to stop it, but someone came in the way first.

"Wait! It's not his fault!" Ace yelled, stepping in between him and Franky.

* * *

**Ace**

"What are you doing here?" Marco asked him. He didn't seem mad, but rather surprised.

Ace didn't respond right away, choosing to talk to Franky instead. Marco had protected him from other humans, and now it was Ace's turn. "I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding," he insisted.

He was pretty sure someone laughed. "You don't know a thing!" they called. Ace would have retaliated, but he didn't know the source of the voice. He stayed his ground.

"You're right. I don't know anything. I don't know anything about what happened with Whitebeard that affects all of us." Ace admitted. "And Marco is a jerk sometimes-"

"Excuse me?"

"-but he can be pretty nice too!" he defended. "You don't know him, so you can't generalize him like that!"

"We're independent!" someone else chimed. "We can do whatever we damn well feel!"

Ace had been surrounded by people who didn't agree with him before, but this situation felt entirely different. First of all, he had ever been defending someone else: only himself. Secondly, those had been humans, and these were of his own kind. There was no helping it now. He slipped into a defensive stance. "He's my friend, and I won't hesitate," he growled as a final warning. "So back off!" He was fully prepared to launch himself forward, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"It's not worth it, yoi," Marco whispered. "There's no need to get violent."

The tension in the room seemed very thick in that moment. Ace glared at Franky, waiting for him to do something. He tried to listen to Marco's words, but if the other attacked, he wouldn't hold back.

Suddenly, Franky yelled, "Are you all done yet? Get back to your own business!" A few complaints ran through the crowd of the bar, but eventually the bar returned to its former state of chatter, and their situation was left alone.

Ace let up his stance when Franky grinned at him, striking him with surprise. "You've got SUPER guts, man!" he laughed. He looked at Marco. 'You're not too bad either! No hard feelings?"

"Sure…" Marco muttered. He sounded a bit exasperated too, Ace noted. He couldn't blame him. Franky's attitude had changed rather quickly after all.

"To tell you the truth," Franky started, "I don't really care about you being here or not, but I gotta protect my customers, right? Make sure you're safe."

Ace was telling the truth when he said he had no idea what happened between Marco's family and the robots. It was strange to be left out of the loop, especially since everyone else like him knew what happened.

"I'm not on either side really," Franky continued, sliding into his own seat at the bar. "Anyone who doesn't have a place is welcome here. It just happens that most of them are robots. You're welcome to stay if you like."

Marco shook his head before Ace could say otherwise. "That's fine, yoi. We'll be going now. I need to talk to him."

"Alright! Come back any time!"

As much as Ace liked the place, he felt like that wouldn't be happening any time soon considering the situation.

Marco and Ace walked along the paths of the city, their path illuminated by the glow of the unique streetlights. "How long were you there?" Marco asked.

"A while," Ace answered. "I heard about the place earlier and decided to check it out."

"So it was just a coincidence that we were there at the same time, yoi," Marco commented quietly.

"Of course," Ace snorted. "Did you think I was following you or something?"

He wasn't expecting the next question though. "Why did you defend me?"

Ace's snarky remark had been brushed right off and ignored, leaving him with a serious Marco to deal with. He stopped walking and looked towards the water, thinking of how to respond.

"I'm not sure if I can completely explain myself," Ace began, "but it seemed so unfair."

"I could've handled it."

"I know! It's just that it seemed stupid. I know that I don't know anything about what happened, but they don't actually know you," Ace said. "You've been really nice to me lately, so I thought it was the right thing to do."

"Right and wrong?" Marco laughed bitterly, turning towards the canals himself. "What would you know about that? All of you…"

It was showing again: Marco's dislike for them, but Ace knew this time he could say something. Something that would change his mind (at least a little).

"We know it perfectly well! You were wrong when you said we don't have morals!" Ace freely declared, uncaring of who else was listening. "We  _do_  have morals. We  _do_  know right and wrong. We  _feel._ "

"It's not fair for them to hate you when they don't know you, but it's not fair for you to hate them back because you don't know them! I don't know what one of us or all of us did to make you hate us-

"I don't hate you."

"-but you can't just generalize everyone!"

A silence hung between them for a moment as Ace waited for Marco to say something, but his mouth remained silent. He chose to continue.

"I used to be like you," Ace confessed, voice quieter and calmer now. "I didn't know why I was made. I didn't ask to be made. For that reason, I hated all humans. They thought they could just create these artificial humans as they pleased even though we weren't human at all.

"And then I got to know the people around me: Koala, Luffy, Sabo… They weren't all that bad, though Sabo messed with my coding a few times," he added dryly. "I miss them all right now. I know how it feels, so you can tell me."

Marco was still unresponsive, so Ace thought that maybe he should head back to the hotel alone and wait for him, but he suddenly started talking.

"My brother was killed in cold blood. No remorse," Marco stated quietly, barely loud enough for Ace to hear. "He was killed by one of you."

Ace's eyes widened. That shouldn't have been possible. There was a line of coding that should have prevented that! He wanted to ask about this, but this was Marco's time to talk.

"You know the basis of the incident, right yoi? And what my family does?"

Ace nodded. He knew of the incident well, and of what Whitebeard's family did generally, but never about what happened in conjunction with the two.

"We took in as many robots as we could just to spite the damn government. They felt like a part of the family, I'll admit that. Whitebeard's family was like the Franky House: it was a place for anyone that didn't belong," Marco explained.

"But things changed," Ace commented, taking the words right out of Marco's mouth.

"Yeah," Marco sighed. "We trusted them all without question, and we thought they thought the same. No one was expecting one of them to kill one of us. He fled immediately after, leaving distrust in his wake."

"But why did everyone in the bar hate you?"

"Because after that, we decided to tamper with  _that code_ , and word spread about that."

What Marco mentioned made a bit of fear shoot through Ace, another alarm going off in his head. "That's- How could you do that?" he protested. "We  _feel,_ Marco! We're  _alive_  despite what everyone says! You can't just-"

"We  _knew_  it was a cruel thing to do!" Marco continued, interrupting Ace. "We  _knew_  it was what allowed them to think and feel for themselves, but at the time I didn't care about that. I was angry and wanted revenge. Their emotions didn't matter to me."

Ace couldn't help thinking that Marco was cruel, but there was remorse in his voice.

"I was supposed to reinsert it when everything cooled down, but eventually I discovered the location of the one that killed my brother. Suddenly, I had a new objective: hunt him down and destroy him, but it ended up being a trap.

"I had known how dangerous it would be, yoi, but I was a fool," he said. "He was trying to get the rest of the robots so he could turn them into the government. He wanted to gain favor with them."

"Our own kind?" Ace asked, incredulous.

"He never really cared about that stuff," Marco answered. "Only himself. The trap was set to exchange me for all of them, but it would also expose my entire family to the Marines. It was an even deeper trap than I thought. So my family disappeared to secure their location. I was able to escape, and now I'm here looking for them."

"They abandoned you," Ace muttered in disbelief, wondering why Marco would still look for them despite knowing that. "How could they do that?"

"They did not," Marco denied, squishing that assumption of his family immediately. "They know I can handle myself, yoi. That's why I know I'll be able to find them no matter what."

"So that's your goal," Ace wondered, though he wasn't quite asking. "Your dream?"

"You could say that," Marco shrugged.

"Mine isn't really like that," Ace said.

"You have a dream?" This time, Marco sounded intrigued rather than reluctant.

"I…I want to see the ocean," Ace admitted. "I know it sounds stupid, but I'm not really sure why I've felt this way. I'm the same though. I'll do it no matter what."

A chuckle came from Marco, and Ace almost jumped back. "I guess we do have something in common, yoi."

"We have something to look forward to."

Marco smiled as confirmation. "Let's go back to the hotel. There's a long day ahead of us."

"Hey, about that," Ace interrupted. "We both said some pretty heavy things today, so why don't we just take tomorrow to relax?" he suggested.

Marco's smile grew wider and he laughed light-heartedly. "Why not?"

"We should get some sleep then. There's a bunch of stuff we can do around the city tomorrow!"

"That sounds good. And by the way, thank you for defending me and talking with me, yoi. I know I had a lot to say, but I feel a lot lighter inside because of it. I guess it was just best to let it out."

This time Ace laughed. "Aren't humans the ones who are always going on about sharing their feelings? But it's no problem since you listened to my ranting anyways! C'mon, Marco! Let's go." Ace grinned at him one last time before sprinting down the street towards the hotel.

"Friend, huh?"


	10. Letting Loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace decides that the day is a free day. Marco needs some rest too after all.

**Marco**

Marco wasn't expecting to see Ace's face hovering above him when he awoke that morning. He shot up quickly in surprise, colliding their foreheads. Marco hissed in pain. He definitely felt the metal that time.

"Sorry about that," Ace apologized, tentatively reaching towards Marco's injury. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, yoi," Marco answered. The sting was fading away already. "You?"

Ace shrugged. "Didn't feel a thing, remember?"

"Well, what should we do today?" Ace wondered aloud. "Well, we're not gathering information today, that's for sure."

Marco took a hurried glance at the notes he left out on the table from yesterday. He had gotten used to Ace scanning them so he didn't have to carry them around, but considering what he said, he wasn't going to even look at them today. Marco didn't mind since it was a relatively quick process. He might as well help Ace with ideas.

"I heard the view is nice at the top of the city, yoi. We could just walk through the city and make our way there," he suggested.

Upon hearing the suggestion, Ace grinned. "That sounds good!" he cheered, Marco feeling a flutter in his heart at Ace's positivity. "You should eat some breakfast first though."

Marco was about to suggest the same to him, but he quickly shut his mouth, remembering that

Ace could, in fact, not eat. He felt stupid for ever mistreating him in the first place. While he was sure that Ace didn't want him to see him as such, Ace seemed just like a human in his eyes. That little pep-talk yesterday really did help, but it was his job to accept and acknowledge both Ace's similarities  _and_ differences.  _'Ace is a robot,'_ he told himself,  _'but he can feel. He's my friend.'_

It had been a long time since he'd called one of Ace's kind "friend", but it wasn't too bad.

"Ready to go?"

It was about 10am when they left the hotel. The sun shined overhead, lighting the city. It looked rather different from the night when built-in neon lights illuminated the path forward. The atmosphere was completely different too with more inhabitants crowding the path and canals, going about their daily routines.

"Do you ever just watch other people?" Ace asked as they walked along. "I know that's kind of a weird question."

"I've never really had a reason too, yoi" Marco said. "Why?"

"Do you remember what I told you last night when I said I used to be like you?"

Marco didn't even have to think about his response. "Of course. About the generalization, right?"

"Well," Ace started, "When I was first activated, I hated humans. My brother, Sabo, was just learning how I worked. He tinkered a bunch with my functions and coding, which made me hate him even more. I thought all humans would be like that," he explained.

"Eventually, I came to accept him and Lu," he continued. "Lu is also my brother, by the way. But the point is that I still had that view of everyone else. Then, I went out one day and just watched.

"There were so many different people just going about their business: mothers with their children, groups of friends just hanging out. And sure there were a few dicks mixed in with the bunch, but that's how I learned that all humans were different." Ace stopped, but suddenly he laughed, trying to cover his seriousness. "Sorry. I just went off, didn't I? It's just that this place reminds me of when I did that."

Marco shook his head. "Don't worry about it, yoi. You had to listen to me talk yesterday, so it's only fair that you have your turn. We're equals, aren't we?"

The way Ace looked at him with wide eyes was almost amusing to Marco. "I guess so!" he exclaimed, seemingly uncaring of the stares he received. He stopped pointing along the pathway.

"Let's go that way! It looks like it'll take longer, but we have the whole day!" Ace ran off before Marco could stop him, much to his amusement.

As he followed Ace, he decided to follow Ace's advice and just watch others. There were mothers buying groceries, children playing, men sharing laughs, and many others. It occurred to him that he didn't know which ones were actual humans as opposed to robots just living life.

Past all the heavy stuff, Ace said some pretty profound things. He was used to being the one giving advice, but this wasn't too bad. Having someone as his rock was nice, especially if that someone was Ace.

* * *

**Ace**

When Marco caught up to Ace, he was standing in front of a food stall. Ace had just been staring (from a distance, of course) at the man behind the stall, who was cooking up his wares, but he was able to see the look of pity that briefly flashed across Marco's face out of the corner of his vision.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"It's nothing," Ace sighed, but this time, his systems prevented him from lying, and Marco was still staring him with a suspicious look. "Sometimes, I wish that I could eat," he admitted. "There's a lot of food in the world, and it would be cool to try it all at least once. I feel that if I was a human, I would eat a lot."

"I guess there's a lot I want to do, even though, in all standards, I shouldn't be able to do them," he said. His own words sounded hollow, he noted.

"Your dream, right yoi? So you want to see the ocean." It sounded as if Marco was asking for confirmation, so Ace nodded.

"I seem to think a lot of silly things," Ace mused. He was about to suggest that they continue on, but Marco countered his statement.

"I don't think so," he disagreed. "If that's what you want, it can't be helped. I can't do anything about the food, but I think seeing the ocean is something completely achievable. That is something I can help you with."

Ace hadn't been Marco to say something like that. During their short time traveling together, Marco had been so focused on finding his family. Ace couldn't deny that he'd thought about asking, but he didn't think Marco would offer on his own. "Thank you!" Ace beamed, unable to control the happiness overcoming him.

The next idea that popped into existence seemed to come out of nowhere, but Ace wide grin soon turned into a mischievous one. "I think I do have an idea for the food one, though," Ace insinuated.

He noticed how Marco gulped just a tiny bit, as if he were trying to hide it. "And what would that be, yoi?"

"I'm going to make you try everything that  _I_  want to eat!"

Unfortunately for Marco, there were plenty of food stalls along the streets of the city, and Ace was interested in every single one of them. Ace felt the need to purposely deviate from the fastest route in order to find more food stalls, which made their trip last until the sun was finally setting. There was no need for Marco to stop for lunch or dinner since Ace made him eat so much along their way to the top.

But eventually they got there, stars shining overhead and the city's paths lit by its neon lights once more. The atmosphere was much like the night before was similar.

Water 7 was split into levels, and what Marco heard was right. The top level had an amazing view of the city and its lights shining below. There was a slight breeze blowing too, which made everything feel nicer.

Most people would close their eyes and breathe in the air, but Ace had no need for either of those things. Instead, he kept his eyes open to immortalize this view in his memory. The stars, the lights, the view. He wanted to memorize this as perfectly as he could.

He glanced over at Marco for a second, and suddenly  _he_  became the best part of that memory.

There was a smile on his face, and wonder in his half-lidded eyes that, to Ace, shone brighter than the neon lights of the city. Ace loved that look. It made everything around him perfect.

"Enjoying yourself?" Ace questioned in amusement.

Marco's calm demeanor never vanished, but Ace could still see the amazement on his expression.

"It's a beautiful view," he commented. "Although, I think I would be enjoying myself a lot more if you didn't stuff me full!" He reached over, playfully shoving at Ace's arm.

While Ace agreed with him about the view, their little play fight lasted most of the walk back, laughs included along the way.

He didn't regret calling Marco a friend yesterday, but in that moment, friend didn't feel like enough.


	11. Sabo- The Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabo didn't mean for any of this to happen, but now, others were facing the consequences in his place.

**5th Interlude**

First impression of Ace: rude. And grumpy. Sabo didn't blame him though. He couldn't remember much of anything, and Luffy kept pestering to know about him.

He knew basic stuff like about his functioning, what things in the world were, and who Roger was, strangely enough. Sabo never knew a robot could hate their creator so much, but he didn't dare question Ace directly. It would only upset him more.

Unfortunately, Luffy didn't seem to get the hint about that, though it was charming about how his little brother was kept trying to make friends.

Sabo was trying too (though not as hard as Luffy) and he was trying to get Ace to warm up to Koala as well. Admittedly, he still wanted to take a look at Ace's inner workings and code, but he wouldn't do that without the man's consent and trust.

When they had first activated Ace, they brought him back to their house to get used to things (it's not like they were going to leave him in that lab). Initially, he didn't tell them anything at all and stayed in the room they had fixed up for him, but eventually, he started talking to them.

Somehow they were able to bring out his bright side, and now they were like a little family, and after a certain incident at a restaurant (they wouldn't be eating there again) Sabo had convinced Ace to let him look at his code.

Ace was something else, Sabo mused. Of course he was. Sabo had known Roger was a genius, but actually getting to look at his work was an interesting experience. He still felt bad for just prodding at Ace's wiring and stuff like this, but he would apologize later. Besides, Ace needed to have some manners, and Sabo wanted to see what he could do. He was just glad that Ace cooperated despite his fiery personality.

Unfortunately, he didn't know where to start.

Ace's coding was by far one of the most complicated things he had ever seen. He had looked at other robots like Ace, but there were several key differences. The first being the location of the core, which contained the code: it was located where a human heart should be as opposed to where the brain was. Next was the matter of the code itself- more specifically the lines about Ace's personality.

"I swear! I think every part of his personality is written out!" he explained to Koala, who was rolling around in the lab chair.

"Really?" she asked. "Don't they usually just have simple lines so they develop personalities based on their function?"

"I think we've already established that Ace isn't normal," Sabo said. "I don't think he was created for any specific job. I mean, think about the way he act around you, me, and Luffy. Now think about how he acts when we're around strangers."

"He's way more hostile," Koala answered, sounding amazed. "And usually they're programmed with a single set of emotions!"

"Exactly." Sabo nodded. "Nannies are given the codes to be happy and caring all the time. Firemen are given the ones to be brave and strong. I think Ace acting the way a human would react is somewhere in his code."

"Well, we'll just have to start looking, right?"

"Yeah, but you'll have to give me back the chair first."

"Alright," Koala sighed, though she cracked a tiny smile. "I have to make a call anyways. Don't overwork yourself, okay?"

Sabo hummed a response, but he was already in front of the computer, focused on his work. He heard Koala laugh as she exited the room, but there was too much for him to do to tease back now.

He had an idea of where to go now, and he would start with the one little line, seemingly isolated from all the others.

* * *

 

Sabo didn't mean for any of this to happen. One line of code posted in an online forum lead to this?

He knew it was his fault. Hundreds- thousands of robots suddenly acting differently than they were programmed. Acting with more emotion than they were given? Acting almost like the way Ace was programmed? There was no way that this was mere coincidence.

He should've never asked others to find out what the code did when he knew how quickly information spread. One person having it meant that they would share it with someone else, and if Sabo was right, it was possible that even robots programmed with the code could share it.

Sabo knew now what the code did: it was a code for emotion and independent thought. In other words, it made robots practically human.

Now they could think and feel like humans, and Sabo could only imagine what they were feeling now.

" _Another batch was just sent in for reprogramming, though if things go sour, we may they may be scrapped. The Marines hope to have this incident sorted out by the end of this month."_

They didn't deserve any of this: being toyed with, scrapped, and treated like some object. If Sabo hadn't shared that code, this never would have happened.

" _They are also looking into the source of this incident. Stay tuned for live updates."_

The thought of that almost made Sabo laugh hollowly. That wouldn't be happening any time soon. Sabo had erased the post completely, and the code was so widespread that it would be difficult to locate the source. Maybe he should have left it up to take responsibility for his actions.

Suddenly, a hit to the back of his head broke his thoughts. "Stop moping," Koala said, arm still poised from her hit.

"It's hard," Sabo sighed. "None of them deserve this. They're our coworkers, friends, family- no matter what anyone else says."

"I know," Koala agreed, taking a seat next to him. "But aren't you the one who's always telling me not to have regrets?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we have to do something," she answered. "They should be allowed to have emotions and live with it, so let's help them. We wouldn't be alone in this either. Whitebeard is already helping them out."

What had he been doing all this time? Koala was right. They all deserved to act, think, and feel on their own. To be something besides what they were programmed for. He was wasting time just sitting around.

Sabo bolted up, heading for his lab. "We'll do anything we can," he yelled behind him.

"What would you do without me?" Koala asked, smiling to herself. "We've got a lot of work to do."


	12. Closeness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends become close enough to know each other's secrets.

**Marco**

From then on, Marco let Ace accompany him during his information gathering. It was weird having him by his side, but he didn't quite mind it. He was good company, rather good-looking company too.

Before that, they had been traveling together, but at the same time not really together. Truly becoming Ace's companion made Marco realize just how lonely he had been before. Though he had acted rude towards Ace before, Ace had been right at the Franky House bar. Because of Marco's experiences in the past, he had been too quick to generalize, which affected his behavior towards Ace.

Spending time with Ace had been a real eye-opener too. Having fun wasn't a foreign concept to him, but he had been in such a serious situation for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was like.

It was back to business now, though they had reached a mutual agreement: Ace would help Marco find his family, and Marco would help Ace reach the ocean. He didn't mind helping him achieve his dream since he knew what that feeling was like.

The new routine they had fallen into was probably the best one yet. They would organize the information they had gathered before lunch, and Ace would accompany him for food. They would start searching for more information around, splitting up occasionally to cover more ground, and at the end of the day, they would go out just for fun. Since Ace couldn't drink, he would end up doing most of the talking by telling Marco stories about his days with Sabo and Luffy. Often times, Marco had almost spit out his drink from laughing, and told Ace stories about his own brothers in return.

Marco and Ace had just decided to head to a bar for the night, where they would ask around a bit and then get a drink. They split up, Marco sitting at the bar, and Ace roaming around, but he would join him again soon enough.

Marco had only been taking small sips of his drink when he heard the question though. It was faint, but it was undoubtedly Ace's voice.

"What would you think if Gol D. Roger left one last invention behind?"

* * *

  **Ace**

Ace saw the fist flying at him. A red warning light along with an alarm went off inside his system, helping him dodge the potential danger. Asking the question he had just asked usually elicited that response along with some strange looks. He had done it a few times when he had split up from

Marco, but he would admit that he had been careless this time. The fighting didn't always start right away since more times than not, Ace would be talking to idiots who took a bit to realize that

Ace was a robot.

Ace knew exactly why he kept asking people what they would think if Gol D. Roger left behind something on this earth, and his curiousness wouldn't allow him to stop, even if the answer was the same every time.

' _Something that mad scientist left behind would just be scrap metal!'_

Ace would swing the first punch after something along those lines was spoken, and that's why he was currently in this predicament.

In his attempt to dodge, he had stumbled out of his barstool. He dropped low to the ground, aiming a kick at his assailant's legs. Though Ace hadn't fought in a while, it was almost impossible for him to get rusty with his moves. The man didn't see it coming and plummeted to the ground with a thump.

One of the guy's buddies attacked next, swiping at Ace with both arms. Ace smirked, ducking under the arms and aimed a punch at his stomach, causing the guy to crumple over.

Unfortunately, the next alarm came too late, and as Ace stood a bit straighter a punch collided with his cheek.

Ace was made of quite sturdy material, so the hit probably wouldn't do any lasting damage. This happened often, but when it did, Sabo was there to make absolute sure. Sometimes, there would be a scratch across his artificial flesh, or a dent underneath in the metal structuring.

He was used to being outnumbered, so he was fully ready to swing back at his attacker, but before he knew it, the guy was writhing on the ground in pain, Marco standing above him and glaring menacingly.

"What's your problem?" the first guy yelled, lunging at Marco's feet, but Marco countered by promptly planting his foot in the guy's face.

Ace wasn't expecting Marco to jump into the fight to protect him (and honestly, he didn't know the other could hold his own in a fight), but he looked more than just a little cool.

To Ace, Marco's muscles suddenly became more noticeable under his shirt, but maybe that's because he was staring. Marco definitely looked cool, handsome,  _sexy_  even.

When Marco pulled his foot away from the man's face, the footprint left there was pretty hilarious to Ace. He would have laughed if not for the heavy tension in the bar that advised him not to.

"I assume there are no complaints, gentlemen?" Marco asked. His voice was calm, but Ace could hear every ounce of danger poured into them.

The man that Ace had punched in the stomach looked up, and it seemed that he was about to attack, but instead, he jerked back in surprise. He was shaking as he pointed at Marco and stammered, "Y-you're… you're the Phoenix!"

A whisper ran through the bar. When the name fully processed in the other men's minds, they scrambled backwards, blurting out apologies. They soon fled the bar, but the atmosphere was still tense. To dissipate it, Marco threw some money on the bar to pay for his drink, grabbed Ace's hand, and swiftly left before anyone else could protest about the situation.

Marco was practically dragging Ace back to the hotel, but there was a certain gentleness in the grip he had on Ace. He wasn't speaking though, seemingly walking as fast as he could.

' _Maybe he's mad at me,'_ Ace thought.  _'For getting into a stupid fight.'_ But to Ace, the fighting was never stupid. No matter how many times Sabo told him, or even Marco this time. He just wanted confirmation that he deserved to exist.

Then another possibility crossed his mind. It was common knowledge that Whitebeard and Roger were rivals, and though Ace had not witnessed this rivalry firsthand, it was likely that Marco had.

And if he overheard Ace's question in the bar…

They had just been getting along and their time together was wonderful, but would this new revelation bring back that cold and cruel Marco that Ace had first met. He felt the anxiety inside, and while he wanted to take his hand back from Marco, he just couldn't.

Ace liked it when Marco held his hand.

He decided to break the quiet then, hoping to distract Marco even just a little bit. "Er- that was really cool in the bar just then," he brought out, mentally cursing how awkward he sounded. "I mean, I'm sorry you had to get involved, but thanks for protecting me."

"It was nothing, yoi," Marco replied shortly, but that only made Ace more nervous. He still had no idea what Marco was thinking.

"Are you okay?" he suddenly asked, catching Ace off guard.

Ace blinked, systems still trying to process the question. "Oh- uh, yeah." That made him curious about another thing. "So you don't hate me? For the fight or, you know, because of my question and Whitebeard-"

Ace was cut off when Marco stopped walking. He turned towards Ace with an unexpected smile.

"I did hear your question," he said, "but there's no way I could hate you for it, or the fight."

Marco's words were reassuring, clearing away most of the doubt within Ace. _Most._

"And what do you think?" he found himself asking quietly. "If Roger, your father's rival, left one last thing behind?"

He immediately regretted asking it when Marco fell quiet. Marco was smart, so he probably figured it out already. Ace's worries surged again, and everything inside him was telling him to run and leave. But he didn't want to leave Marco. Ace wanted to know what he thought, but at the same time he felt that hearing the answer would break him in more ways than one.

Ace felt that he already knew what the other was going to say. Roger was known to the world as a mad scientist- but a genius. His inventions, and even some of the viruses he created, were often a nuisance to the government and many others, so he was universally hated.

Yet Marco's wonderful smile never faded. "I think that he left me wonderful companion, one that I'm glad to have by my side. Although," Marco paused, reaching up and brushing a hand over Ace's cheek. Ace could feel the literal sparks running through him at that action. "You do worry me sometimes. You have a scratch."

That answer made Ace soar. He was unable to control himself, and in an instant, he was hugging Marco close. "Thank you!" he practically choked out, noting that his vocal functions weren't quite working properly. Maybe this was his equivalent to crying?

Marco didn't say anything as he embraced Ace back, but Ace didn't need any words in that moment. Just Marco.

That would be the last night Ace ever asked that question.


	13. It's a Date!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace showed Marco how to have fun, but now it's his turn for a little break.

**Marco**

Ace had a heavy burden to bear, and sharing it with Marco just meant that they were becoming closer and closer each day. Finding out Ace's true origin had been shocking, but Marco didn't show it. He had already accepted Ace for everything he was, and knowing he was an invention of Roger's didn't change his opinion in the slightest.

Marco was glad that he could vanquish Ace's fear, but he noticed that it was still bothering him.

He hadn't told Ace, but Marco found out that one of Whitebeard's allies was in the next city, and with that, he could probably find his family. Since he was so close, there was no harm in taking another day off, right?

Their next destination would be the city of Sabaody, and it was the perfect place for free time. Marco had been there before on business for Pops, but that was years ago, and he hadn't the time to enjoy what the place had to offer. There was an amusement park, shops, restaurants (though they probably wouldn't visit many of those), and much more. Marco wanted to keep his plan a complete secret of Ace, though converting the correct amount of credits to beri and storing it at the same time may be a challenge.

Marco wanted to make Ace happy for even just a little bit. He knew helping Ace towards his dream would do so much more, but for now this would hopefully do.

Honestly, he was excited to see how Ace would react, and Ace seemed to notice this excitement.

"Is everything alright, Marco?" he asked concernedly as the train sped towards their destination.

"I'm fine, yoi. I've just been thinking about what we're going to do next," Marco lied smoothly. Only part way telling the truth helped.

"Oh right!" Ace's eyes lit up. "I heard Sabaody is a big city, so we'll have to cover all our bases. Whaddya think? I've been doing my research!"

Marco chuckled at Ace's eagerness. "Good job. Find out anything else?"

Ace grinned, continuing his enthusiastic explanation. "I heard that there's an amusement park right there inside too! But wait…" he trailed off, smile slowly falling. "Never mind. We probably won't have time."

Marco didn't like seeing Ace upset, but he still had to keep his secret. Instead, he hummed in acknowledgement, turning to stare out the window. They fell into silence again, albeit a comfortable one.

Ace was in for a big surprise, Marco mused.

When they got off the train, Ace had already located a hotel with some of his information functions, but a clearly confused look donned his face when Marco walked the opposite direction.

"Marco, where are you going?" Ace questioned, voice heavy with suspicion. He followed behind Marco, but continued to glance in the other direction.

Marco had to bite his lip to stomp down his forming grin. "Just follow me, yoi," he replied vaguely.

Ace looked like he had many questions, but he seemed to know that Marco wasn't about to answer him. He followed compliantly, glancing around at their surroundings. Things became flashier and grander as they approached their destination, and out of the corner of his eye, Marco could see Ace quietly listing off possibilities. His answer grew clear as the amusement park came into view.

Marco stopped, and Ace almost bumped into him since he was staring so much.

"Hey, Ace," Marco started. "You've been pretty stressed lately, so why don't we take another day off?"

Ace's eyes lit up again as they had when he first mentioned the amusement park. "You're not kidding?"

"Nope," Marco said with a smile. "Let's just put our stuff at a hotel first, and then we can go, yoi."

The place that Marco had picked to stay was much nicer than the previous ones. It was a grand hotel rather close to park with grand lights and a polite staff. It was expensive for sure, but when the money wasn't his, he didn't mind shelling it out just to spoil Ace. If he were was still by himself or if he viewed Ace as he originally did, there's no way he would have done it. Now, he understood how Ace worked. Ace needed to relax just like a human would.

It was suspicious when he handed over a ton of beri to pay for the hotel room (the guy's eyebrows practically shot off of his face), but a little extra could always make some people stay quiet. They were led up to their room without further question, though they chose to carry their own bags instead of having the bellboy take them.

Marco dismissed the bellboy as soon as they arrived, leaving Ace to stare in awe at the room. The windows took up the entire wall, which showed off the spectacular view of the park and let in a wonderful amount of light. There was a large flat screen television and a nice-looking computer console at the desk (Marco was particularly excited at that). Finally the bathroom, which Marco would be the only one using. His examination of the room was interrupted by a delighted yelp as Ace bounced on the no doubt soft bed.

_Bed._

As in singular. Ace seemed to come to this realization too, as he stopped bouncing. "Er- sorry," he apologized. "I'll be fine sleeping on the couch again!"

But Marco quickly shook his head in refusal, but his mind was racing at what he was about to suggest. "There's plenty of room, yoi," he stated. "I don't see why we shouldn't share."

Instead of giving a proper response, Ace just grinned and resumed his bouncing.

Marco didn't mind sharing with Ace. Rather, it was something else he had to look forward too.

Even though he hadn't known they were only going to have one bed, he was glad things turned out this way, and he didn't even care to question his own thoughts.

Moments like these were wonderful. He wanted them to last.

* * *

**Ace**

Ace practically dragged Marco out of their room, though Marco wasn't exactly complaining. Marco's pleased chuckles floated to Ace's ears and occupied his thoughts (his functioning had taken an instant recording). It was a wonderful sound, and it only made Ace want to get to the park faster. He hoped that Marco would have as much fun as he was going to.

The chatter of the crowd grew louder and louder around him, filling Ace with even more excitement. He gripped Marco's hand tighter just to make sure they didn't get separated, but he began to slow his pace when they approached the entrance. The park was surrounded by a white wall that loomed over them. In any other situation, it would have been intimidating, but the rides could be seen even higher above it, which only incited more anticipation. Ace rushed towards the opening in the wall, the words "Sabaody Park" above it highlighted with colorful lights.

Ace and Marco passed under a tunnel, which was surprisingly dark, but whatever was waiting on the other side would definitely be worth it.

And it was.

All at once, they were hit with a world of colors, noises, and smells. A rollercoaster towered above them, and there was sure to be more. A line of food and drinks stands just led off one way, smells both wonderful and questionable drifting towards them. People seemed to be crowded around one particular takoyaki stand. Ace took note to make Marco try it for him later. There were a few buildings leading off to the side. Possibly for shows or smaller attractions? They'd have time to check it out later.

By far, the most fascinating attraction was the giant ferris wheel in the middle of the park, towering high over him. It had closed off compartments and in the center, colorful lights were displayed on a circular screen. Currently, it was showing a message:  _Welcome to the park of the future!_

People surrounded them from their fronts and sides- the park was packed- but Ace shoved his way through the crowd to get a good view, and Marco was happy to help. They kept their hands clasped tightly together, for if they let go, they would be swept away from each other by the pull of the crowd. With a bit of teamwork and twisting of bodies, they finally broke through.

Ace looked around at the multiple paths around them, still trying to avoid the rush of people. "Where should we go, Marco?" he half yelled over the sounds of the many people. "The rollercoaster?" He pointed. "Maybe the food stands? Oh! I heard there was a house of horrors somewhere that's supposed to be  _super_ realistic because of their tech." He turned back to hear

Marco's response, but he was taken aback when Marco gave him a confused look.

"Can you repeat that, yoi?" Marco shouted back. "It's a lot to take in!"

Even though this visit was Marco's idea, he was right. Ace couldn't help cursing himself at the fact that he didn't decide to make a schedule or itinerary so they wouldn't have this problem. He looked downward at his feet, trying to think of what to say next.

"Why are you upset?" Marco asked.

Ace's gaze shot up towards him. He thought he wasn't being too obvious, but Marco was good at reading him.

"Let's just go and find something," Marco suggested pointing off on a random path. "We have all day, and not having a plan won't hurt us, yoi."

Marco was the one leading Ace now, and all Ace could do is stare in wonder. Marco held a small smile on his face and a soft look in his eyes that was much more fascinating than the park around them.  _'So Marco's happy too?' Ace wondered. 'I thought he was only bringing me here to cheer me up.'_

Those thoughts of confusion were soon wiped away as he got lost in Marco's wonderful features once more. They were great after all, so great that his systems were warning him of potential overheat.

"Ace?" Marco called softly, breaking Ace's thoughts.

"Y-yeah, Marco?" Had he been caught staring? How embarrassing!

"Are you alright?" Marco asked. "You're not scared, are you, yoi?"

"Scared?" Ace repeated, unsure of what Marco was implying. Then finally, he tore his gaze away from the face in front of him to see that they had arrived in front of the horror house. The corners of his mouth turned upwards into a half-grin half-smirk.

"Scared?" he scoffed. "Please, Marco I can handle this. The question is, are  _you_ scared?

Marco smirked back (another overheat warning briefly flashing in front of his eyes). "Never, yoi."

The horror house was hardly anything to faze them, but Ace loved how Marco never let go of his hand even for a second. Occasionally, something would jump out at them, and they would end up squeezing each other's hands for a brief moment, but they were completely fine when they left the attraction.

Ace shrugged. "That wasn't scary at all!"

"Well maybe it's supposed to be for kids, yoi," Marco suggested. "But then again, you're right.

Even with the technology they used."

"Let's try something else!"

Ace wasn't sure how long they stayed in the park, but the rest of their day was spent running all around the place together, trying to find fun things to do. They rode on a vibrant merry-go round, which played hilariously happy music, watched a play about rescuing a space princess from aliens (it was pretty cheesy), a good old-fashioned ship ride that flipped upside down, there were so many things that Ace couldn't think of it all! Well, he also made Marco try all the food.  _All of it._

Turns out: that only made going over the wild hills and twists of the rollercoaster, especially when they dropped down the tallest hill. Ace swore that Marco was a bit green in the picture that was taken from the ride. Ace clutched it in his hand and giggled at that fact.

"What are you laughing about, yoi?" Marco interrogated somehow playfully.

"Look at your face!" Ace laughed even louder.

There was a slight flush on Marco's face as Ace pointed at his nauseated look. His cheeks were puffed up, as if he was about to empty his full stomach. It vanished soon after when Ace said: "I'm going to keep this forever! Thanks for letting me get it!"

Ace wasn't sure why that comment made Marco's embarrassment vanish, but he was glad. He hated seeing Marco uncomfortable.

The end of their wonderful day was a fitting grand finale: the ferris wheel.

There was no line when they got there, which was fine with Ace. They would just keep the view to themselves then. The compartment was large and closed off, so there was plenty of space for the two of them, but maybe it was too much space. Instead of taking advantage of this, Marco and Ace chose to stand right next to each other as they relished in the view of the lights of the park and city, a comfortable silence between them.

"Thank you for today," Ace said just loud enough for Marco to hear him. He unglued his eyes from the window to glance up at Marco to see his reaction.

"It's nothing, yoi," Marco replied, smiling back. "I had fun today as well, though I admit that it was mostly for you."

"Well, aren't you sweet!" Ace laughed, but quickly calmed down. "But you don't know how much this means to me. I've never really had anyone to do stuff like with. Even with Luffy and Sabo, there wasn't really time for this. The only thing that would be better than this would be-"

"Seeing the ocean, right?" An almost playful smirk danced along Marco's lips.

Ace gaped up at him. "I thought you forgot about that," he admitted.

Marco shook his head and chuckled. "I wouldn't forget about something important like that, so I promise that we'll go."

Ace was about to grin and thank Marco once more, but he was interrupted by a flash of light and a muffled bang. They both quickly turn back towards the floor-length window to see color bursting through the sky in gorgeous arcs.

"Fireworks!" Ace exclaimed, another joyous laugh following. Whites, golds, purples, any color imaginable exploded against the night in a rain of shapes and sparks. Occasionally, Ace would tug on Marco's hand to point out his favorite ones, and in return, Marco did the same back.

This would be one memory that Ace would play over and over in his head just to bring back the wonder and happiness he felt in that moment as he stood beside Marco.


	14. Koala- Trespassing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to do a little exploring in Gol D. Roger's lab. It's not as if Koala was given a choice though.

**6th Interlude**

Koala absolutely couldn't believe that Sabo dragged her down here.

Sure, she was curious as to what Gol D. Roger's lab looked like, but she wished that her friend and partner would exercise even the tiniest bit of caution. She thought she would have been used to the stunts he pulled by now, but, she thought with a sigh of relief, at least Sabo wasn't as carefree and reckless as his brother Luffy.

"Koala!" Sabo called. "You coming? Luffy already went on ahead."

"Do I have a choice?" she sighed, complying with his question by following behind.

The place was abandoned, but that was a given. Koala already knew that this lab wasn't exactly going to be teeming with Marines since they had no clue where it was. Sabo only found out because Garp was  _extremely_ honest when drunk, and it wasn't hard to slip him a few bottles when he came to visit. It's also how Sabo was able to get the keys, which were strangely enough, entrusted to Garp after Roger's arrest.

The two brothers had pretty much taken off and left her to wander the dark corridor by herself. They were much too eager (Luffy being a huge fan of everything Roger made and Sabo an aspiring programmer). She was glad that she brought her own good, old-fashioned flashlight at least, knowing that finding the power and reactivating it would be far too risky.

Even though they wouldn't be able to go through Roger's digitized records, they might be able to activate any inventions he had left lying around (though even that may be hard after the years). Still, it was fascinating shining the beam of light against the walls to read where the off shooting corridors lead, though going off on her own in this dark, abandoned building didn't seem like the wisest option. Instead, she continued following the echoing footsteps and eager shouts of Luffy and Sabo. They only had one destination in mind.

And they were right in wanting to go there. The main lab was certainly impressive.

There were windows high up, so she could see the features of the room from the moonlight streaming in. There was something eerie about how empty it was. It was a large room, so that made it feel all the more lonely. She could practically imagine scientists, inventors, and Roger himself milling about and working on their latest projects.

No doubt using the machines around the room for help, Koala mused. The level of technology in the room was staggering. Though Sabo was the expert, even she knew that. Mechanical arms attached to the ceiling that seemed to be attached to some sort of track, an array of screens and monitors, and she recognized one that was able to project interactive holograms, but obviously it wasn't going to function.

While Sabo and Luffy continued to marvel over the different technologies and gadgets in the room, Koala made sure to inspect every desk just to see if she could find something. Disappointingly enough, they were all empty with the exception of one.

She knew it was Roger's desk right away. It was cluttered with papers, a couple of tablets, a knocked over coffee mug (which had stained some of the papers), there was even some sort of tiny invention- was it a toy?- blocking a couple of photos. Koala heard Roger was working on some huge thing before he was arrested and executed, but there was no way that this was it. Just as she was about to pick it up to examine it, as well as the pictures, further, she was interrupted by Sabo.

"Hey, Koala! Come look at this!" Sabo exclaimed, beckoning her over.

She didn't know how she hadn't noticed it before, but there was one single machine in the center of the room that seemed to be pulsing with an orange light. It seemed to be some sort of capsule. Before she could warn Luffy and Sabo about being careful about whatever was inside, Luffy pressed the panel on the front, which glowed brighter at that moment, with a laugh.

"Hey!" she barked. "Could you two actually think before doing something for once?"

It was too late for protests now though, she thought dryly as Sabo shrugged and the capsule opened with a loud rush of what sounded like wind.

"What the hell?" Koala whispered mostly to herself because Sabo and Luffy had already stepped even closer to investigate.

There was someone inside. She already knew they were a robot from the multitude of wires, but she wasn't expecting him to open his eyes.

"He woke up!" Luffy yelled, almost tumbling backwards.

"Oi, Lu!"

"What…?" the man muttered obviously disoriented.

"Hello? Can you tell us your name?"

"My name… My name is Ace."


	15. Things Left Unsaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will Marco do when faced with a choice of such magnitude?

**Marco**

When Ace suggested that they get a drink to finish off the day, Marco wasn't one to protest. He wouldn't drink too much, but it would be nice.

The lights were dim, but the place was still crowded (thankfully not as crowded as the park). Marco just was just barely able to shuffle into a barstool and order a drink. Poor Ace was left to lean against the corner and wait.

"You can have my seat, yoi," Marco offered.

"No, it's fine!" Ace insisted. He glanced off towards the side. "I might go over there for a bit. Over by the pool tables and arcade machines, okay?"

Marco nodded, and with that, Ace walked off. They had spent the whole day together, so maybe Ace wanted some space? Well, he was acting less stressed than before, so at least today's "treatment" worked. Marco wouldn't mind some alone time right now, despite how much he enjoyed staying by Ace.

As Marco quietly sipped his drink, he couldn't help musing over how great thing were for him right now. Even though he hadn't found his family yet, he was happy and having fun: things he never thought he would never experience again after the incident.

"Marco," someone whispered as they slipped into the now available barstool next to him, catching him off guard.

He quickly turned his gaze towards the guy. The man was very pale, but Marco recognized the skin shade very well, and along with the light-pink, flowing hair, he knew who this was without a doubt: Squard, one of the family's allies.

"It's been awhile," Squard continued.

Marco, who stomped down his shock, nodded. For a brief moment, he remembered that his notes had contained information about an ally being in Sabaody. If Ace had remembered it too, he hadn't mentioned, but Marco couldn't blame him since he said they would stray away from searching today. And yet, he couldn't stop himself from asking about it.

"Pops, all the others, have you seen them, yoi?" There was a certain desperation in his voice as he spoke.

When Squard turned a bit more towards him, Marco could see that there were bags under his eyes. The past year had been stressful for him too no doubt. From what Marco remembered, tragedy struck him as well.

"Of course I have," he answered. "It's helpful to keep in contact, and there's good work there too. Though everyone's been worried about you mostly."

That fact was a bit surprising to Marco, when he left to pursue Thatch's killer, he as well as everyone else were aware of the consequences. He just hadn't expected to be gone so long.

"Everyone's been looking for you," Squard continued. "But you left almost no digital footprint for them to track."

Marco felt like face-palming. Of course that would've been the easiest way for him to get back to his family. He hadn't really thought of it for safety reasons (both his and his family's). While he had hacked into bank accounts for money, he had covered his path flawlessly, making him virtually untraceable.

It was too late for that now. He would apologize for that later if he ever found the time. "Where can I find them?" he inquired softly.

Squard gestured for him to come closer. Marco leaned in. He understood why. This was sensitive information after all. "You'll find them in Banaro. There's a door in the alleyway near the town's biggest bar," he informed. "The government hardly goes there, so it's easier to hide."

Marco let out a sigh of relief at this information. Finally, this could all be over, but the last thing Squard said almost shattered Marco's world.

"Be careful. They're still sensitive about the robot incident."

He paid for his drink after that, and quickly left the bar soon after, leaving Marco to wallow in the reality of those words. Marco finally had discovered the whereabouts of his family (no wonder he had such a time if they switched their location often), and he desperately wanted to return. Yet now he had someone else to think about: Ace. What had all this time meant then? Marco had taken Ace along to help both of them, but he had found his answer so easily. He could go back to his family now.

Did he really need Ace anymore?

"Are you thinking about something again?" Ace was in front of him suddenly, bringing Marco away from his internal struggle. "I thought we were going to save that stuff for tomorrow."

"It's nothing, yoi," Marco lied, guilt pulsing through him. "What were you doing over there anyways?" he questioned, attempting to divert the subject.

"Oh that!" Ace exclaimed, pulling out something from behind his back. In his hand he held a small plush toy: a little baby bird made of vibrant blue and yellows. "It's like a baby phoenix! I won it at the claw machine." He grinned, offering it out to Marco. "I thought you would like it because of your nickname and all."

Even though Marco should have scolded Ace for mentioning such a thing in public, he didn't have the heart to, so his smile was genuine. "Thank you, yoi," he chuckled, taking it gratefully.

"It took me so many tries though, so I may or may not have wasted some money. I swear those things are rigged!"

Unfortunately, Ace's excited storytelling of his misadventures at the claw machine wasn't enough to expel Marco's worries, even when they got back to the hotel room. He felt tired from both the day's activities and thinking about his current predicament. Everything had changed so quickly that it was almost too much for him to comprehend.

"Did something happen back there?" Ace asked, eyes full of concern.

' _It's fake,'_ that part of Marco whispered: the part that he thought he threw away after he accepted Ace.  _'It's all a lie.'_

"I'm just thinking about my family, yoi." Well, it wasn't a full lie this time, but Marco still felt a bit guilty.

"Oh," Ace said. He looked a bit lost for a moment, as if he didn't know what to say, but then something sparked behind those eyes. Marco had come to recognize it as the look Ace got when he had an idea. Ace suddenly laid back on the bed, curling up just a bit on his side. "Come here," he whispered, patting the area next to him.

A bit hesitant, Marco complied, turning to face the other. "What now, yoi?"

"I… I want to show you something," Ace admitted, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I'm not sure if it'll cheer you up, but I want to at least try."

Before Marco could say anything in response, Ace gently led his hand to rest over an area above his now bare chest (when had he the time to remove his shirt?) and pressed down ever so slightly. To Marco's surprise, it was a panel that opened up to its contents underneath.

Revealed to him was a compartment, glowing with an orange light. He could see wires, presumably running off into other areas in Ace's body. They ran past each other, crisscrossing and occasionally tangling together, but they were all connected in the middle to a sort of prism that pulsed with light rhythmically.

"Well, this is my 'heart' in a sense," Ace explained, struggling with how to come up with the proper words. "It's what makes me, me, I guess. This little prism contains my memories, personality, even parts of my code."

Marco was quiet as he stared in awe. The sight had a certain beauty to it. "You're different, yoi," he commented, embarrassed moments after that those were the only words that came to his mind. "What I meant to say was-"

"It's fine, Marco," Ace reassured, smile still on his face. "I know what you mean."

Marco let out a sigh of relief. He was glad that Ace understood. It was his fault for blundering his words. He wasn't wrong about Ace being different. Most other robots had their key units stored in their head. Ace was unique in this way, and Marco rather liked it.

"I wanted to show you this so that you know I'm alive," Ace declared, which meant all the world to Marco right then. "I want you to know that I'll be by your side, no matter how long it takes to find them. And I want you to be by my side when I accomplish my goal too, so we have to keep going!"

' _If only you knew…'_

"Thank you, Ace," Marco whispered back. "You certainly helped, yoi."

"I… I'm glad…" Marco hadn't noticed, but Ace had been drifting off, his eyelids slowly falling.

"Goodnight, Marco," he murmured, and soon after he fell into sleep mode. He looked peaceful in his curled up position.

"Goodnight, Ace," Marco said quietly back, and soon after, he was planting a kiss against that metallic forehead. Soon after, he was positioning his bag on his shoulder and writing a note with an apology, even though no apology would ever be enough.

Soon after, Marco was gone.

* * *

**Ace**

When Ace awoke, the bed was cold. He didn't think it was strange at first since Marco always got up before him. The guy had to eat after all, and even though Ace didn't need to rest any more, he thought that it would be best to just lie in bed and wait for Marco.

Ace's thoughts ended up wandering to the events of the day before. It had been a wonderful day with Marco. Arriving at the hotel, going to the amusement park, showing Marco his heart. Just bringing that last memory to light made sparks pulse through his body. Ace pulled the photo from the roller coaster out of his pocket (he had forgotten to change the night before) and smiled upon seeing it. They sat at the very front of the car so Ace's wide grin was visible and so was Marco's nauseated look. He felt bad for making Marco eat all that stuff, but the memory was still a good one.

He loved every memory of the amusement park, but it wouldn't have been the same without Marco.

Ace began thinking purely of Marco again, running his hand over where he had been the night before. It was strange. No one had ever occupied his thoughts like this before, but he didn't really mind. Maybe he could ask Marco about it later?

So he waited. And waited.

But Marco wasn't coming back.

Ace sat up, worried about his companion. "Marco?" he called, though he knew it was pointless. He would have noticed it already if he was in the room, but Marco never left Ace alone this long before. Ace bit his lip, and began to search.

"Marco?" he tried again, opening the bathroom door. "This isn't funny, Marco." He attempted searching behind the curtains too, and even peaked his head out the door. When he came back in, he felt that something more was missing.

And finally he noticed a note on the table.

Something was telling him not to pick up the note. There was a small package beside it too. Why would Marco put this stuff here? He reached for it anyways, against the judgement of whatever inner voice he was given. He was shaking badly, he noticed, which had never really happened before.

"What is this, Marco?" he whispered, knowing nobody would give him a response.

And so, he began to read.

_Dear Ace,_

_First, I want to thank you for opening my eyes. I thought that I would never accept robots again after the incident with my brother. You actually kind of remind me of him, well, when you're happy and all. His name was Thatch, in case you ever wanted to ask, and he was a big goofball. He would've hit me over the head if I was still angry over what happened, so again, thank you. I'm glad I understand how you feel._

_That being said, I'm sorry._

Ace pried his eyes away from the letter for a moment. Why was Marco apologizing? Ace's hands shook harder as he continued to read, not liking what he had read so far.

_I discovered the whereabouts of my family yesterday night in the bar we went to after the amusement park. Squard, he was a family friend, in a way, was there and he informed me of it. I heard that there was an ally of ours in this city, but I wasn't expecting to see him so soon, especially since I promised you that we would take the day to relax._

_He told me something else, and this is why I am regretful. My family is still wary of your kind._

Those words struck him to his very core. Emotions ran through him, and they were new, what was this coldness he was feeling?

_I cannot take you with me._

"No…"

_I paid for another two nights in the hotel, so you'll be able to stay for a bit if you wish. I have left you with a credit card so you have money to spend for you to travel. It connects to an untraceable account, so you don't have to worry. There's enough money to get you to the ocean like you always wanted, and some to live comfortably until you can find a job or something._

"Why…?"

_I enjoyed our time together, but I must ask that you do not try to find me. Who knows? Maybe we'll see each other again someday. I hope you have a good life at least._

_Sincerely,_

_Marco_

Ace hadn't realized that he had collapsed to the ground while reading the letter. He felt colder than ever at that moment as he drew his arms around himself and crumpled up the letter in his hand. His body was still shaking, and he knew it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

He was barely aware of climbing back onto a bed and curling up into a ball. Foreign noises were leaving his mouth: they sounded like chokes and gasps. Was this sobbing? But Ace didn't have any tears to cry.

He had to express his emotions somehow, and this sobbing was uncontrollable now. He did know how long he laid there, crying with no tears leaving his eyes. "Humans say we have no emotions," he breathed weakly, "yet they're the cruel ones."

And  _cruelly_ , his mind brought up every single memory of Marco that Ace held dear, and played them over and over again: the bar, Water 7, Marco helping him in that fight, the amusement park, even their kiss in the alley when they first met. They kept repeating, and Ace had no control over them. He felt like he was going mad.

"Stop it!" he cried. "Just stop!"

To his wishes, the memories eventually died down, and his sobbing subsided, but he was left apathetic and broken, still lying on the bed. One thought sparked up faintly though.  _'He said I can go see the ocean now, right?'_

But he rejected it. "Stupid, Marco. I wanted to see it with you."

Ace didn't  _care_ enough anymore. His love for his brothers and his passion were gone. He was left heartbroken because now he realized- and he shouldn't feel this way, right- but he knew now…

He  _loved_  Marco. He loved Marco too much to care about anything else anymore.

Ace didn't even care enough to do anything when someone pounded on his door barking, "We've found you! Open up!"


	16. Selfish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco is finally home after all this time, but things are different from what he remembers.

Marco had taken the bus to Banaro. It was quite a small town, and it wasn't along the train line. It would make him harder to track this way, though he knew Ace could probably find him if he tried hard enough. It's not as if he wanted to leave Ace behind, but if his family still held negative views towards robots, bringing Ace with him would've been a poor decision. On top of all that, Banaro was farther was father from Ace's dream, and Marco didn't want to do that to him. This arrangement was for the best.

The sun was setting when he arrived, but he still had to find where his family was. Luckily, it didn't take much work. The busiest bar was easy to find, and nobody cared when he slinked into the alley beside it.

Standing in front of this door felt almost surreal. This past year away from his family had been a long one, but now he was about to go through the door to reunite with them once more. Marco was never the nervous type, but he had to stop the slight shaking of his hand as he raised it to knock.

At first, no one answered, which led Marco to believe that this may have been the wrong place, but suddenly, a metal slot in the door slid open, someone's eyes peeking through. For a brief moment, Marco saw those eyes go wide before the door opened and the person behind it tackling him, almost knocking him down.

Marco recognized the warmth hugging him as Haruta, who hadn't changed much at all. "Marco!" she cried, hugging him even tighter.

"I know, yoi," Marco whispered, closing his eyes and patting Haruta's back. The two of them stayed like that in silence for a while as he relished in the feeling of finally being with family again.

Marco opened his eyes back up again to look past Haruta at the open door in anticipation of seeing everyone else.

Haruta must have realized that he was doing this because she pulled away. "Oh right," she laughed sheepishly, taking Marco's hand. "Everyone's going to have a heart attack."

"I certainly hope not," he commented dryly.

"That's the Marco I know!"

Haruta dragged him inside and shut the door behind them, but the dark hall immediately led to a downward staircase, causing Marco to watch his steps. When they reached the bottom, she thrust the door open, yelling, "Guys, look who's here!"

The chatter of all of their siblings seemed died down into a tense quiet, but Marco was still trying to adjust to the light difference to see them turn and stare at him. He didn't have time though because suddenly people were rushing at him and shouting joyously.

"I can't believe you're back!"

''About time!"

"Welcome home, man!"

The comments were yelled above each other, so the room was growing louder and louder, full of noise. Marco felt at home already. He hadn't seen Izo yet, but hearing and seeing everyone's familiar voices and faces made him content.

But then the crowd around him parted, and it could only be for one reason.

"Pops," Marco breathed, staring up at the man towering before him.

Whitebeard opened his arms. "Welcome home, my son."

That feeling of being surrounded by his family was all he needed in that moment.

For an "underground bunker"- as Haruta called it- the place was pretty big. It was drastically different from their old headquarters, but it still had the same homey feel. The place felt a bit old-fashioned, but Marco didn't mind. It would be nice to just be in one place after hopping around from city to city for so long.

The main part of the place was just a place for the family to relax and that's why Marco had been assaulted with greetings when he had entered. There were some wall-mounted TVs there for them to watch the news. To Marco is felt like some of the bars he had been in. A hallway from there led off to an area with bedrooms. Space was limited, so many people shared. A room had already been waiting for him, Haruta said, which made Marco feel warm inside.

The final place Haruta took him was the information room, where Izo apparently was.

They had only just entered when Marco heard a gasp of, "You absolute idiot."

Izo was standing there, eyes wide. Marco smiled at him softly, opening his arms for a hug like Pops had earlier. "I'm back, yoi."

Instead of hugging him, though. Izo stomped over to him and promptly slapped Marco across the face. "I hope you've learned your lesson for acting so impulsively," he huffed. "It's nice to have you back."

Even though Marco had just been slapped (Haruta giggling about that), the smile had not left his face. "It's good to be back." But this reunion was interrupted.

He hadn't noticed it at first, but there were some others in the room. They were standing there hesitantly, looking as if they wanted to welcome Marco, but couldn't. Marco had an idea why. He recognized their faces well after all.

They were some of the very robots he helped deactivate.

A million anxieties washed over him in that moment. "Jozu…? Namur…?" he whispered. "Why are you…?"

"Wait, Marco!" Haruta interjected, seeming to know how he would react. "Don't blame them! We-"

"We made the decision to reactivate them." Izo was much calmer in his explanation. "We didn't think it was-"

"Forget it," Jozu grunted.

"Yeah," Namur agreed. "We'll do it."

Marco nodded slowly, still trying to process what was in front of him. He pulled up a chair that was placed in front of one of many computers (a very nice piece of tech, he observed at first glance, but that wasn't on his mind right now).

"There's not much to it," Namur said. "Basically, Pops thought it was inhumane, ironically enough, to just keep all of deactivated. So they reactivated us."

"It's Pops, so he knew how the deactivation affected us. We have actual feelings, you know," Jozu explained.

" _We feel."_

"You're not mad, are you?" Haruta asked immediately after. "They were already family before, so we couldn't just leave them like that!"

"Basically, you'll just have to accept it," Izo added.

Accept it? Marco was fine with that. Accepting the robots wasn't new to him. That wasn't the problem.

"Marco?"

"It's fine, yoi," he answered, putting his smile back on to his face. "Welcome back to the family."

"Thank you," Jozu and Namur said, both adding their own welcomes too.

Marco stood. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I want to rest up for a bit."

"Rest well."

The walk back to the room Haruta showed him was hazy. His thoughts consumed him, Ace's words echoing in his mind over and over- so much so that Marco could practically hear Ace right beside him, giving him the lecture he had given him when they finally decided to call each other friend.

Gods, he was so stupid! He left Ace without consideration about how he would feel. He had only been thinking of himself and seeing his family again. He could've worked something out with his family even if everyone still hated robots, but now Ace was alone. If Marco had only taken the chance, then they could both be happy, even with Ace's dream. Marco could've taken him to see the ocean first and then they could've come here together. Why had he decided to rush?

He remembered that the negative part of him flared up before he left, trying to convince him to think the way his family did- or so he thought.

_Squard lied to him._

Rage was added to the emotions boiling inside of him as he collapsed on his bed (more of a cot, really), but his worry and guilt over Ace remained predominant. He couldn't help thinking of all the great memories they made together, though their relationship started off rocky. But when they finally became friends, Marco knew his life had changed for the better, and now, he realized, without that presence by his side, he felt that a part of him was missing.

All those memories flashed through his mind: Ace making him eat all that food, the view from Water 7, protecting Ace in that bar, the day at the amusement park,  _Ace's smile._

"I'm sorry.  _I'm sorry._ "

"I love you."


	17. Thatch's Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connections run deeper than his family will ever know.

**Thatch's Interlude**

Thatch would fully admit that life on the run was  _not_  for him.

Maybe it was the fact that he was forced to quit his job, or that he couldn't do anything fun. Either way, fleeing his home city just because of his connections wasn't great in the slightest. He knew people had worse lives, but he couldn't help hating the situation he was in right now. Nothing was going well.

In theory, he could all blame this on his best friend, but the thought of doing that was sickening. After all, they had both been on great terms up until his untimely death,

Thatch still remembered the funeral. It had been quiet and short (the guy wasn't very sociable and therefore, did not have many other friends). It had been an unreal experience for Thatch- almost like a dream: the mother's eyes empty, the father absolutely quiet, the few others he knew trying to come up with words to describe him. Thatch probably spoke the longest, trying to stay positive about his friend even though he was gone. It was hard to bring that positive attitude up now, and it was almost ironic how this was the thing to pull his spirits down.

But being without a place to stay really sucked. He was low on money too, and he had to do something.

Naturally, he resorted to thievery. It had been surprisingly easy considering that cooking was his best skill. His only regret was that there were Marines chasing him right now.

He was in a city that wasn't his home with no place to go,  _and_ he was being pursued by the government. How could things get any worse?

Reality mirrored his thoughts when he bumped into someone: possibly the largest man he had ever seen (sporting a very nice mustache in his opinion).

"What's the rush, son?" the old man asked, eyes shining in amusement.

' _Son?'_  Thatch wondered to himself. It was probably just some weird thing people his age said. Still, Thatch saw no reason to be rude, and he certainly saw no reason to use the knife he had hidden. "I've got things, sir. Please move out of my way."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Thatch's fists clenched nervously around his bag. The Marines were still after him. "Please," he pleaded.

"Oi, Pops," someone grunted behind him. Thatch turned, shocked at the sight: a guy with a weird haircut was holding one of the Marines that had been chasing him by the collar. "I took care of them all, yoi. Take your time."

The old man grinned. "Thank you, Marco."

"What is this?" Thatch asked. "I have nothing to give you."

"That's not it," the man assured.

"Then what?"

"How would you like to join my family?"

* * *

At first, Thatch had been reluctant to join, but now, he didn't regret it at all.

He had gone from being alone with nowhere to go, to having an amazing family. At first, he didn't quite know how he would fit in, but everyone was so different that he found a place right away as their chef. He was glad that he could use the skills to help all of his new siblings by providing his new (though sometimes it ended up being wasted on food fights).

When he learned about what the Whitebeard family did, he was shocked to say the least, but he didn't mind helping out after all the shit the government put him through. Sure, he couldn't hack like Marco, or snipe like Izo, but he knew his way around a knife, and Haruta was teaching him some cool techniques. He started off a bit rusty with this whole thing, but eventually he was causing chaos on his own missions as one of the commanders.

After a few years, he realized that he loved this family, and if that misfortune had never happened, then he wouldn't be here. Maybe it was fate.

" _You there?"_  he heard Marco nag from the other end of his earpiece. _"Pay more attention, yoi."_

"Yeah, yeah," Thatch grumbled. "Don't worry your pineapple head, Mama Bird."

" _I'm not a 'Mama Bird,' Bread Hair."_

"Ouch, Marco. That hurts. You know I like messing with you!" Thatch laughed. The name calling reminded him much of his days with his best friend years ago, though Marco was much more serious (but just as fun to mess with). "I'm coming, so don't worry."

" _Alright then. You have the documents?"_

"Don't worry about it!" Thatch said. "I'll see you back at base."

" _Okay then, but don't forget the documents."_

With that, Marco hung up, but Thatch ended up being startled by a shout.

"Stop, Marines!"

Those words brought back terrible memories of when he was alone and on the run. Even though the Marines knew who he was from his work with Pops (they gave him a bounty of sorts if you could believe that!), but he had been careful this time and no Marines had pursued him. He only realized that he wasn't the target when someone took off past him, a group of Marines following behind.

Well, the guy probably wouldn't mind if Thatch took care of those Marines for him, and luckily, they were no problem to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked the other.

The first thing that Thatch noticed about him was his dark, bushy hair and beard. But the second thing was much more notable: the glow in his eyes.

Their family had heard about the recent purging of robots by the Marines (something about a special code, which he had his own suspicions about), and Thatch was sure that that was the reason he was being pursued.

"I'm fine," the man replied. "Thanks for helping me out."

"No problem, man!" Thatch grinned. "So what's your name?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter? Humans never really care about us."

Thatch shook his head smile never leaving his face. "I don't really think any of that matters."

That's how he ended up learning about Teach and the technicalities of the ongoing purge. Something like was horrible: scrapping them all just because they acted like they weren't supposed to.

And that's how he ended up asking, "Do you have a place to stay?"

* * *

"What did you do?" Izo sighed, though impromptu recruiting was a common thing. Marco looked a bit exasperated as well. It was a good thing that Pops was rather amused by the situation.

"This is Teach!" Thatch introduced enthusiastically. "He needed a place to go, so I thought, why not here?"

"So you were avoiding the purge?" Haruta questioned. "Well, you'll be safe here! I'm Haruta! Want to take a look around?"

Teach himself grinned, which was a good sign. "Zehaha! Sure!" He followed Haruta out of the room, leaving Thatch to his discussion with Izo and Whitebeard.

"Reminded me of me a few years ago," he continued, "though circumstances are pretty different."

"Well, I'm proud of you, my son," Whitebeard said.

"I'm assuming that's not all you have to say, yoi?" Marco asked.

"Yep!" Thatch exclaimed. "I was thinking-"

"Oh no."

"-and it occurred to me how much this would piss off the Marines. And hey, we could also make this family bigger!" he added.

As he was expecting, Pops agreed to his plan to help others from the purging of robots, and even Izo and Marco agreed rather easily.

* * *

Their family had almost doubled in size over the past few months. Anyone they had saved from being scrapped was welcomed with open arms, and they even managed to welcome in some other humans as well. With more people, they had expanded their space, become more efficient with technology, and most importantly made the Marines fear them even more. Thatch was proud that this had been his idea, but he never would have done it without everyone's help. He would say that things were going pretty great.

Well, until now.

Looking at a grinning Teach pointing a knife at him filled him with a sort of betrayal he had never felt before.

"What the hell is this?" he whispered in shock. "Why the hell are you doing this?"

"I really am thankful that you helped me out all those months ago," Teach replied vaguely, "but I wasn't expecting you to think of rescuing others."

"Of course I would!" Thatch defended. "Do you not care about them? They're like you, you know!"

"We're very different," Teach shot. "They were given morals, but who needs something like that? It will just hold them back."

"What the hell? What do you mean?" No morals? That didn't spell any good.

But Teach still did not answer his questions. Instead, he said something much more confusing. "He used to talk about you a lot. About how happy-go-lucky you were. I'll enjoy taking that away from you."

"He used to what? Who the hell are you talking about?" Thatch growled.

The way Teach's grin grew and eyes glinted made Thatch nauseous. He had a bad feeling that whatever Teach was going to say next would weigh heavily.

"Who?" Teach mocked. "Ace, of course."

It had been a long time since he had heard his best friend's name. He remembered many things upon hearing it, but the most important thing that popped into his mind was Ace's line of work. Ace had been a scientist and inventor. Before his death, he had always been enthusiastically (he and Thatch were similar in that regard) telling him about a groundbreaking project he was working on.

And this _\- Teach-_ was it?

"Zehaha!" Teach laughed, making Thatch want to throw up. "Tragic, isn't it? Killed by his own invention? His precious project? What a fool!"

"Don't talk about him that way!" Thatch snarled. He would've attacked, but his knives were in another room Teach had the weapon here, putting Thatch at an obvious disadvantage.

"But he was," Teach said. "Ace always talked to me when I was nothing more than an AI, and he always told me about his ambitions and dreams. He created what he wanted, but I killed him for forgetting the details. There's no one to blame but him." Dread grew in Thatch stomach when Teach drew closer to him. "And maybe it's fate because you can die a fool just like him."

It was hard not to register the knife plunging into his abdomen and twisting around. It stung, burned, and pulsed pain through Thatch's entire body. He pressed his hands to the wound, but he could only feel blood gushing over his hand. He knew it was too late, but finding all of this out now was grating on his sanity. Ace, his best friend, had died at the hands of this man, and now he too was to die. Ace created Teach, created a robot that could think and feel independently, and died for an unseen mistake. This was the cause of it all.

But Thatch had no more thoughts left. The last thing he heard before he faded was Teach's- that  _murderer's_ \- ugly, sickening laugh.

" _Marco, you can't go after him! It's a trap!"_

" _I have to, yoi! He murdered Thatch!"_


	18. Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped in here, Ace can only think. And Marco? All he has is regrets.

**Ace**

How did things come to this?

Ace hadn't cared at all when the Marines came for him. He no longer cared about his one wish, so he didn't care if they deactivated him and turned him into scrap metal, but what they were doing to him now was something Ace never wanted.

The scientist stood over Ace, who was strapped onto a table, running a screwdriver along his arm. Apparently, they decided to dissect him- in a sense- to figure out how he ticked and worked, and they decided to do it while he was on, just so he knew-  _and felt_ \- every single thing they were doing to him.

"Will you open your access port now?" the scientist asked in a sickly sweet voice, fluttering her eyelashes.

His access port? Where his "heart" and core was? No way in hell. Ace glared at her, wiping the expression off of her face.  _'And they call us fake,'_  he seethed.

She sighed. "Forget this. I'm taking a break." She threw her screwdriver down into the area of Ace she had already opened and left the room.

Ace hated this. He hated being treated like some  _thing_. He hated being restrained and feeling helpless.

Because like this, he was only left to think.

* * *

_Ace knew that the Marines were behind the door. So after all this- traveling with Marco for his protection and getting ever so closer to his goal- it didn't even matter. They would take him away and turn him into scrap metal. There's no doubt that would happen since they knew he was Roger's invention._

_There was a soft beep, signifying that it was about to slide open. The Marines must've hacked the door or gotten a master keycard to bypass the security, he noted- not that it mattered anymore Ace wished in that moment he was in cheaper establishment so they could break down the door and put him out of his misery faster._

_When the door opened, Ace didn't see Marines, though much to his surprise he recognized the face. He had only met the guy once, but he knew. Suddenly, his apathy had vanished, replaced with something else._

" _Teach?" he whispered in disbelief. "You…"_

_Teach just grinned, but the grin made Ace sick to his stomach. "What's wrong, Ace old friend? Cat got your tongue?"_

_Old friend? No… That didn't feel right. Sure, he thought Teach was familiar when they first met, but that had to be a coincidence. And their little meeting all that time ago could hardly be counted as friendship._

" _Why are you here?" Ace asked, even though he could only think of a few explanations. It struck him now as to why he found Teach strange._

_Teach seemed to have a few people with him, but he was the only one who entered the room. "Isn't it obvious?" He approached the bed, looming over Ace. "I'm here to take you in."_

" _So you've been following me this whole time?" Ace paused to give out a bitter laugh. "So you're with the Marines? You, a robot?"_

" _Zehaha!" Teach's laugh was a disgusting noise to Ace. He was glad it stopped soon after. "I'm not a Marine. I have my own reason, and taking you to the Marines helps that."_

" _You could've captured me at any time, but you choose now?"_

" _Well, I was waiting for Marco to leave, of course."_

_Ace couldn't contain his gasp. "How do you know-''_

" _Marco?" Teach finished for him. Hearing him say the man's name made rage pulse through Ace. "Funny thing, really. He would've recognized me. Used to call me family, you know."_

_Even more realizations hit Ace then. He remembered the story that Marco told him that night in Water 7._

" _ **My brother was killed in cold blood. No remorse. He was killed by one of you."**_

" _Did you really think Marco would stay with you all this time? When he hates all of us so much?"_

_Ace wanted to bite back at Teach that_ _**he was wrong** _ _, but after what had happened on top of the weight of those words, he was too full of despair to argue._

_And he was full of despair when they took him away._

* * *

"Uncanny."

When he broke out of his trance of thoughts, someone else was looming over him. People talked about the man often, so Ace knew who he was.

Sakazuki was ruder than any other Marine Ace had encountered previously. "Open your access port," he demanded gruffly.

"No."

The answer was a rather expected one, so Ace wasn't surprised when Sakazuki continued. "We simply need you for Roger's research, scrap metal. There's nothing stopping us from ripping you apart."

Ace knew that was a lie because he was aware of the inner workings of his systems. Obviously, Sakazuki was just trying to scare him, but that wasn't going to work. He smirked. "Then why am I activated right now? I know as well as you do, if you try to remove my core forcefully, you'll lose everything."

He observed the silent, burning fury on the man's face at Ace's cocky response. The satisfaction he felt from that was a nice relief in that moment.

It didn't for long. Sakazuki moved away from the table Ace was strapped to and grabbed something. He couldn't quite see what- but almost an instant later, he felt something around his arm. That something tugged, causing Ace to panic.

True, he had said he couldn't die, but  _he did_  feel pain- and he definitely felt harsh electricity running through him when Sakazuki ripped his arm clean off.

Ace was aware that he screamed, but he didn't hear it over the warnings and alarms going off in his system. He slowly turned his head, afraid-  _terrified-_  of what he would see. Where his arm used to be, he could see the frayed ends of wires and the occasional spark that came off of them as his body desperately tried to send feeling to his arm- the arm that was  _no longer there_.

His eyes turned back too Sakazuki- he didn't want to look at the area of pain anymore- who was handing the arm over to the scientist who had been there previously. "Give that to the one who turned this in. A commemoration of sorts."

Ace didn't know what to feel as the woman walked away with his arm- carrying it like some sort of  _trophy_. Enraged, he guessed, but there were other things that preoccupied his mind at the moment.

He scowled up at Sakazuki, who was now donning his own smirk. "It doesn't matter if we damage you," he said. "Roger created something that should never existed. We'll get to your core even if it means ripping your head open." He left Ace with those words.

Through all the emotions inside him right now, he could at least feel a bit of relief that they didn't know the whole truth. And yet, he always knew things would end this way.

All he could do was wait for the end to come.

* * *

**Marco**

It might have seemed that Marco was acting strangely because of the presence of robots in the family again, but that was far from the case. In reality, the guilt of everything was crushing down on him- things from both now and the past: deactivating the robots, treating others like them- namely Ace- horribly, believing Squard's lie, and most of all, leaving Ace behind. He brooded over these things for days, worrying most everyone.

Eventually, Izo came to investigate.

"You're not honestly still upset about Jozu and the others, are you?" he asked, taking a seat next to Marco on the bed.

Marco shook his head, placing it in his hands. "No, that's not it," he sighed.

"Then what is it?"

Marco knew Izo meant well and that an interrogation was his last intention, but he didn't feel like dealing with all this right now. Should he tell his family what happened when he was away? Should he tell them about Ace?

"Look," Izo continued. "You're in no mood to work- obviously- so maybe talking about it will help you."

Maybe Izo was right. Marco knew keeping everything bottled in was unhealthy, but that didn't change his reluctance to speak. There was also the matter of not knowing where to start.

"You don't have to tell me everything," Izo coaxed. "Just start with what's bothering you the most."

What was bothering him the most? Well, that was obvious. Marco breathed deeply, trying to calm himself before he spoke.

"I… met someone, yoi," he admitted, almost immediately regretting it when he saw how Izo's face lit up. He knew exactly what the other was thinking, and in a way, he was absolutely right.

"Oh my goodness! Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you bring them here?"

Marco tried to ignore Izo's rapid-fire questions and attempted to continue. "We didn't get along at first, but I promised that I would protect him from the Marines," he explained. "He never deserved anything that happened to him- at least, that's what I feel. His name was-"

At that moment, Haruta burst through the door, interrupting their conversation.

"I think you guys might want to see this."

"Can it wait?" Izo groaned in annoyance. "We're trying to have a talk here."

But Haruta just shook her head frantically. "It really can't. The news… I just-"

"Well, if it's so important, then spit it out!"

Haruta swallowed nervously. "It's Teach."

Izo gasped, and Marco's eyes went wide. Immediately, thoughts of their talk vanished from their minds, and they almost knocked Haruta down in their haste to exit.

"It's on the TVs! Follow me!"

When they got to the lounge of sorts, everyone was quiet, as they were just staring up at the TVs. The sight made a fire of rage burn inside Marco: why was Teach's disgusting grin being broadcast to them?

" _So you're the one who turned it in, right?"_ the reporter asked, holding a microphone up to Teach's face.  _"How did you find it?"_

" _Zehaha!"_ Marco's stomach curled when he laughed.  _"It was easy. I followed him for a while. He didn't suspect a thing!"_

"Why is he being treated like some hero?" Vista growled. "He  _murdered_  Thatch!"

The room broke out into an uproar, shouts of agreement resounding.

"Calm, my sons!" Whitebeard yelled. "Listen!"

The broadcast continued.  _"The Marines even gave me this!"_ Teach exclaimed.

No one was expecting him to hold up an arm.

"What the fuck?" Someone screamed.

The government was disgusting. What made it okay to just take someone's arm as some sort of present? But there was something weird about it: Marco couldn't say he knew how the physics of detached arms works, but the arm was strangely stiff.

" _Nice trophy, don't you think?"_

The reporter nodded, smiling enthusiastically. The action was somehow more sickening than Teach's grin considering there was a detached limb in front of him. He turned back to the camera.  _"That's all from the hero that brought in Gol D. Rogers' final invention!"_

 _Gol D. Rogers'_   _final invention?_

"What…?" Marco whispered. His own siblings were voicing their own thoughts of disbelief, but Marco was the one in the most shock. "There's no way that can be true, yoi." He knew exactly what they were talking about, but he didn't want to believe any of it. Maybe there was something else? It was possible…

But then photos of Ace started being displayed on the screen, and that was the moment Marco lost hope.

" _A thorough examination will be taking place of all this thing's parts. The Marines believe they can uncover some information about the incident that took place a year ago, and hopefully information on how to improve our own technologies. Now, our next story…"_

The newscast became white noise to Marco as he tuned it out. That arm- it was  _Ace's_ arm. The damn government was taking him apart like he was some  _toy_. This was all his fault. If he hadn't left Ace, he would still be safe.

Marco fell to his knees and emptied the contents of his stomach.

* * *

Once everyone made sure Marco was okay, he ended up confessing to why he had thrown up, as well as why he was acting the way he was the past few days. Only Pops and a few others were there to listen to his story, his story about his time with Ace and how he only had himself to blame.

"And now, there's not much time left for him."

"He must hate me now too, yoi. I was so stupid." he breathed, still trying to hold himself together.

The others were silent for a moment, not knowing how to comfort Marco, but Pops laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Jozu, Namur, and the others like them looked especially sympathetic.

Suddenly, Izo sighed. "Yes, you were."

Haruta gasped. "Isn't that a little insensitive? You could at least-"

"Yes, you were stupid," Izo repeated, ignoring Haruta's protest. "Are you just going to sit here and wallow in your damn self-pity?"

"What are you saying?" Marco asked weakly.

"You have us," Izo said, "and we're a family. We'll back you up not matter what decision you make. Use that head of yours and make a decision."

Marco looked up from the ground to see his siblings, who were strangely enough grinning at him. Even Haruta had gotten over his objections. They must've realized something from Izo's words. Use that head of yours, huh? Pushing past his haze of emotions, he was able to realize what the other meant.

He looked to Whitebeard, who nodded in approval.

Marco stood, hope rushing back to him. Now that he wasn't stuck in self-pity, he remembered his ability, his position, and the people supporting him.

"We'll definitely save him, yoi."


	19. Hope/Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is Ace to do when he knows his life is about to end? Those blaring sirens contradict those thoughts. He's here: Marco.

**Ace**

Ace was exhausted.

The scientists had tried what they could to gain access to his core, but they weren't having any luck, and despite now missing an arm, Ace didn't dare tell them its real location. That secret was keeping him up and running for even just a little longer.

But he knew that they would soon resort to force as Sakazuki said.

They knew the risks of course. Taking the core by force and shutting Ace down completely could result complete loss of memory. They would lose the very thing they were after: Roger's research because that's what Ace was, Roger's research.

His very existence would be eradicated for it, and Ace was ready, so long as he could prevent them from getting what they wanted. With that, he would be content.

When he thought about it, he lived a full enough life- well, for a robot at least. He had a family, he traveled, he experienced love and heartbreak, but still he was left with one regret: he wished he could've seen the beautiful waves of the ocean at least once.

"No good," one of the scientists groaned. Ace knew what was finally coming. "We'll have to do it."

From his position on the table, Ace could hear unanimous agreement from the others in the room. So this was it, he mused. His time was finally up. In some ways, it was relieving. His consciousness- his existence- would be no more, so he wouldn't have to think about anything anymore.

For a brief moment, he saw the lead scientist hold something (a drill?) over his head, but he closed his eyes, not caring enough to see the end. He could feel the motions of the drill above him. No doubt they were using it to break through the artificial flesh and metal paneling. He would feel pain and stay alive for a few moments, but once they bore in too far, he would be gone.

The very tip of the drill touched his forehead, and then…

Then the whirring of the drill stopped. There was a thump and multiple screams.

"What…?" Ace muttered.

Alarms started blaring and someone burst through the door at that moment, screaming his news. "The Whitebeards have infiltrated the building!"

* * *

**Marco**

" _37_ _th_ _floor, west wing,"_  Izo informed from the other end of earpiece.  _"You should hurry. I was able to get in a shot, but they were about to split his head open. I'll update you on the situation if anything comes up, but for now, focus on getting there."_

"Thanks, Izo," Marco said, hanging up immediately afterwards. He would've said more- because Izo's sniping skills were practically a godsend in that moment- but he had no time to waste.

"Haruta, the elevator." A simple glance could tell that it needed a keycard to open, but they needed no such thing.

"On it!"

Marco was surprised to find that they weren't keeping Ace in some secret underground facility, but then again, Marine HQ had some of the top security in the country- not that it was any obstacle to their family. It felt a little strange: being out in the field on a mission again, though this time for personal reasons. A lot of the time, Marco had done behind the scenes work to break through security, but this was his fight. He had to be here for Ace.

"Okay! Let's go!" Haruta exclaimed. The doors slid open and the team of three (Marco, Haruta, and Jozu) filed in. The other commanders (as they were called) were holding off the Marines.

The elevator couldn't climb fast enough. Sure, they had already scaled a few flights from the outside, but since Jozu was a pretty heavy robot, going any higher than they had would've been dangerous. Still, Marco found it fitting to have him by his side at that moment.

"Will you be able to fix his arm?" Marco asked suddenly, breaking the quietness of the ascending elevator.

"Depends," Jozu answered shortly. "I couldn't tell the whole extent of the damage from the broadcast. If we can't fix the wiring, then we'll just have to cover it up with metal paneling. But as long as he's still running, he should be fine."

Marco nodded. "Thank you." The elevator slowed at that moment, his fingers twitching towards the pistol stored in his belt. He much preferred fighting bare handed, but again, this was a mere safety precaution.

Haruta laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry," she said. "We're going to save him."

At that moment the elevator doors slid open.

* * *

**Ace**

The scientists were sent into a panicked frenzy, though Ace couldn't see much of it. After all, they had no clue why Whitebeard's men were here. For all the scientists knew, Whitebeard was out to destroy them all, which didn't really matter to Ace in that moment.

It was just boring still being tied up like this.

The shouts of panic began to die down, indicating that the scientists had left him here. That didn't matter though because a single Marine stomped into the room (Ace could tell from the sound of the boots), standing over the table and pointing his gun at Ace.

"You've got guts," Ace commented. "Won't your bosses be mad at you?"

It was easy to tell that the guy was shaking as he moved his finger towards the trigger. "W-we were told to eliminate you in c-case of an emergency." Even his voice was shaking. "W-we can't let Whitebeard get you! E-everyone knows he's after R-roger's research too!"

"Yeah, right," someone scoffed.

The Marine looked up, and suddenly a gunshot sounded. He fell to the floor, dead.

"Don't touch him, yoi."

Ace recognized the voice of course, and the speech quirk confirmed it. He didn't know what to say. The mix of emotions running through him- anger, sadness, love- refused to let him make a proper response. But he didn't have to when he saw Marco hovering above him, smiling gently.

Much to Ace's surprise, he leaned down and touched their foreheads. "I'm sorry, yoi," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Marco's remorse melted all that away and left him with the glowing feeling of  _hope._

"It's okay," Ace whispered back. He felt the restraints around his legs and remaining arm come off, so he brought his arm up to hug Marco comfortingly. "Thank you for being here now at least."

Marco- pulling Ace into a comfortable sitting position- embraced him tightly. "I'll make it all up to you, I promise."

"Sounds good, Marco."

"Hello?" someone called. Ace turned to see a girl with light-brown hair adjusting the knife on her belt. "We kinda need to get out of here  _now."_

"She's right," the rather large man with dark skin agreed. "Let's move."

"C'mon, Ace," Marco said, taking his hand. It reminded him of their day at the amusement park despie the dire situation. "By the way, that's Haruta and that's Jozu." He gestured to them respectively. "And that lead scientist on the ground right now was Izo's handiwork, but he's in the building across the street, yoi. Everyone's excited to meet you."

"Didn't you say there were a lot of you?"

"Of course. It's thanks to Pops. I'll tell you about it later."

Ace then looked at Jozu as they fled down the hallway. "You're a robot, aren't you?" he asked. "Marco, I thought you said-"

"Forget it," Haruta interrupted. "There was just a bit of a misunderstanding. Someone else is taking care of it now."

"I'm just as much a part of the family as everyone else," Jozu answered. "Just like you'll be. Marco brought me here to take a look at your arm. We'll see what we can do when we get back to base."

"I have so much to say to you, Ace," Marco continued. "Let's get out of here first though."

"Right!"

* * *

**Marco**

Marco was thankful that Haruta was able to seal off the elevator. Now they could reach the ground floor and escape with minimal confrontation.

"How's your side?" Marco questioned, eyeing the wires poking out of the socket where Ace's arm should be.

"It was painful at first,"' Ace admitted, "but now, I just don't feel anything."

While Marco was glad that Ace with okay, knowing that he felt pain, made him seethe inside. "Damn it," he growled, the image of  _that bastard_  flashing though his mind. "Teach will pay."

"It's my fault that he tailed us," Ace murmured. Marco hated the guilt in his voice. "I met him when we were traveling, and he offered me to come with him. I got out of there right away."

"You were right to do that," Marco agreed. "No matter how badly I was treating you at the time. Thank you for staying, yoi." The thought of Ace leaving him was painful, but it was true that he had been an asshole.

"He's the one who murdered your brother, right?" Ace wondered aloud, though he seemed certain of the answer. "He said some stuff to me, and I kinda figured it out."

Marco, Jozu, and Haruta remained silent, thinking about their fallen brother.

"I'm sorry," Ace apologized.

"Don't be," Jozu said, breaking the mourning atmosphere. "The dead gave us a life to live. All we can do is see it through."

"Yeah!" Haruta exclaimed, suddenly grinning. "Besides, we'll get a bite out of Teach later!"

"Indeed, yoi," Marco continued. "We all have a bone to pick with him, as do you, but we'll worry about that when we're back."

As if on cue, the elevator doors slid open. The four of them took off immediately, easily taking care of any Marines in their way. Thankfully, they were low-ranking ones, but Marco had not doubt that reinforcements would arrive soon, and  _they_  would certainly prove quite the challenge.

They made it to the back door of the building before that happened. They weren't stupid enough to go through the front, which was heavily guarded. Even though their brothers and sisters were holding off the Marines there, the plan was for them to retreat after Marco's team escaped. Marco, Ace, Jozu, and Haruta darted through the city streets, taking as many shortcuts and back alley passages as possible. As soon as they got to the escape van, they would be home free (thanks to another network of underground passages)

"Stop! Marines!"

"Shit!" Ace cursed. He knew they would come after them eventually, but they had caught up too quickly for any of their likings.

"Let's split up!" Haruta suggested. "Everyone remembers where the van is, right?"

"Of course we do!" Jozu yelled. "Now break!" he added when they came across split paths. Jozu went left and Haruta went right, but Ace stayed by Marco's side as they continued forward.

"Don't worry, Ace," Marco panted as they ran. "You're going to be safe. I promise, yoi."

"I don't think so." The rough voice made them stop in their tracks.

Marco shoved Ace behind him protectively. "Sakazuki."

* * *

**Ace**

That was the man that ripped his arm off. Ace wasn't scared of him then despite the situation, and he wasn't scared of him now. But there was something terribly worrying about Marco confronting him. He didn't want the other to put himself in danger for him, but he couldn't seem to voice any protests over their tense conversation.

"Phoenix," Sakazuki greeted curtly. It was gruff and hostile, one that would strike fear into someone ordinary, but Marco and Ace stood their ground. "There's no way we'll let you get Roger's research. Now hand it over."

"Not a chance, yoi." Ace could hear the smugness in Marco's answer, and though he was behind him, he knew he was smirking. ""I think it's best if no one gets to  _him_. Don't you agree?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Sakazuki growled. "Despite his mad genius, that man's research can lead us into a new world. The Marines-"

"We don't want to live in whatever world that is, yoi," Marco interrupted. "I'll never let you have him. You've done enough."

"Looks like I'll just have to kill you then."

Fear finally struck Ace when Sakazuki spoke those words, and the cracking of knuckles didn't make the situation any better.

"You're welcome to try, yoi."

And those words terrified Ace.

"Marco, wait!" Ace finally pleaded. "You don't have to-"

He was cut off by the shock of Marco letting go his hand and launching forward towards Sakazuki. Ace felt helpless in that moment, just watching the two exchange blows. Marco had both a knife and a gun in his belt, but he used neither. He had told Ace that he always preferred fighting bare handed, but the situation was dangerous, and Ace would worry less if Marco actually used one of the weapons he had.

He wasn't sure how long they were there, but eventually, he couldn't find the strength to stand anymore and sunk to the ground. The longer they stayed, the more panicked Ace became. They were just lucky that other Marines hadn't arrived to back Sakazuki up. Haurta and Jozu must've caught their attention. All he could do was hope something- some miracle- would help them out of this.

Marco grunting and hitting the ground broke Ace of his thoughts, and he gasped. One of Sakazuki's punches had gotten through and was able to stun Marco on the ground.

"No!" Ace yelled. He glared up at Sakazuki only to discover something terrible: the man was pulling a weapon out from behind his back, and not just any weapon. It was the drill they almost cracked him open with. Maybe he was originally planning to come here to get to Ace's core (even if he risked damaging it and losing everything), but now, what kind of fucked up fate was this that Marco's life was going to end with the thing that was supposed to end Ace's?

Well, maybe Marco's life didn't have to end. If this was what Ace's life had come to, then so be it.

He stood, stopping the shaking of his legs, and moved.

* * *

**Marco**

Marco was ready to die protecting Ace- he was certain of that. Marco owed it to him after everything he did: treating him poorly, and then becoming friends with him only to leave him. In a way, he would be paying for all that. He would admit, he expected an admiral to come in their way during their escape, so he was fully prepared for this.

But he was never expecting this.

He hadn't seen that Sakazuki brought a drill with him, and he was stunned on the ground when the man pulled it out, but when he finally regained enough semblance to realize what was going on, the only thing he saw was Ace, the drill driven through the back of his head and out his right eye.

Marco's eyes widened, and he let out an agonized scream.

He barely registered the drill exiting Ace's head as Marco moved forward to catch him. He barely registered Sakazuki's cursing about ruining the research as he turned Ace over onto his back. He barely registered Sakazuki getting hit by something in the neck and falling over, Izo shouting from above, as Ace started to speak.

"M-Marco," he whispered brokenly. His voice was doing that weird warping again. "I'm sorry I c-couldn't go with you. At l-least they couldn't get the r-research, huh?"

"What are you talking about?" Marco yelled, heart beating rapidly. Fear rose up in his heart. "Please don't say things like that, yoi!"

"But there's n-not much time left for me. My core was in my chest" Ace confirmed, reaching up to clutch Marco's hand. He squeezed it comfortingly, pressing a slip of paper into it, and smiled. "I really w-wanted to see the ocean."

Marco loved his smile, but in that moment it struck him with pain. "Don't!" Marco pleaded desperately. He didn't realize he was crying until he saw his own tears hitting what was left of Ace's beautiful face. "I'll take you to the ocean, yoi!  _Please!_ "

But Ace shook his head. "Thank you, Marco," he continued, voice growing softer. "I love you."

Ace's fluttered shut, and he stopped moving, hand going limp in Marco's.

"No," Marco breathed, the impact of those words-  _those three words_ \- hitting him. "How can you say that?" he cried. "How can you say that when I can't say it back?" Marco's words transformed into sobs as he pressed his face close to Ace's lifeless one and whispered  _I love you_  over and over.

Suddenly, a hand pressed onto his shoulder. "Marco!" Izo hissed. "We have to move! Their reinforcements are coming and the tranquilizer won't keep him out for long! There's no time for you to carry him away."

"No!" he refused, clutching Ace tighter. "You can't!"

Despite his protest, Izo pried him away from the body. "We'll come back for him at another time, but we need to go!"

Marco couldn't stop staring at Ace as he was being dragged away, but he noticed something then:

Ace was smiling.


	20. Despair/Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving on is a more than difficult task.

Marco hadn't left his room in days- maybe it had been weeks actually? He didn't quite know because he had lost track of time. It was easy to when he lied in bed unable to think of anything else besides Ace.

Occasionally, someone would come in to give him meals and tell him to shower, but it was common for the meals to remain untouched and Marco remain in his bed. He couldn't move, overcome with the darkest despair.

No matter what Pops, Izo, Haruta, Jozu, or anyone else said, it didn't change the fact that he had  _failed_. He had told Ace that he would protect him, and in his attempts to fight off the one that was threatening him, he had let Ace  _die._

The image of Ace- the one whom he loved and loved him in return- being impaled with that drill was forever burned into his memory, and his mind repeated cruelly like an eternal record player. And that smile, the one Marco saw as he was being dragged away, was part of a similar place in his mind.

He pulled out the piece of paper Ace had slipped into his hand when he had passed. It was the picture that had been taken at the amusement park on the rollercoaster. As ridiculous as it was, it did nothing to lift his spirits. Seeing Ace's wonderful smile in that picture hurt him even more.

The guilt of his mistakes weighed heavier now. If he had never left Ace, none of this would have happened. That decision would weigh on him for the rest of his life.

Without Ace, there was a silence in his heart that would never be filled.

"My son," he heard Pops say. He took a seat next to Marco, patting his back. "Izo and Haruta are back."

Marco sat up. He had known that they left to retrieve Ace's body for him, but he hadn't known that they were going to be back so soon. But maybe more time had passed than he thought?

"Marco, you are welcome to go see him if you wish."

"I need to," Marco accepted. "I need closure."

"I will go with you then." Marco didn't mind that. Having Pops by his side might help.

It took them no time at all to reach the room where Ace was being kept. When they entered, Pops stayed by the door to give Marco, who approached the figure covered with a sheet slowly, some space. Marco knew that the figure was Ace, but his heart wouldn't rest until he saw his face.

His fingers were shaking when he gripped the edge of the white sheet, and he was too tired to will them to stop. Marco took a deep breath- it was all he could do to prepare himself- and pulled it back just enough to see Ace's face. It was beautiful, even with half of it destroyed.

"Ace," he whispered. He pressed his forehead close to Ace's, trying to ignore the wiring and ruined metal poking out. "I love you," he repeated. "Even if you'll never hear it, yoi."

This was it. Ace was dead and gone. Marco had spent all this time mourning him, but now…

This whole thing was anticlimactic really. Marco didn't know what he was expecting. Was he thinking that there was a way to fix Ace? To put him back to the way he had been? No. Even Marco knew that the wiring in the area Ace struck was vital to run.

"I miss you. Rest well." He wanted desperately to kiss those lips one final time, as they had done when they first met, but it didn't seem right without him here. Instead, he pulled back, covering Ace once again, but something kept him glued to his side.

"Marco," Whitebeard said, finally approaching him.

"I can't believe he's gone," Marco answered quietly. "He had a beautiful smile, Pops. He was like Thatch, and now I've lost both of them, yoi."

"You can mourn the dead, Marco, but things won't ever get better," Pops comforted. "But would Ace want you to do this?"

Marco remained silent, but he knew. Ace wouldn't.

"Live on for him."

It would be hard, but Pops was right. "Goodbye, Ace," he whispered one final time.

"Marco! Pops!" Haruta burst into the room, panting from her run. "You need to see this! Teach is back! On the video call!"

Teach's face plastered all over their monitors was not a pleasant sight, but it was able to pull Marco out of his slump.

"What do want?" he demanded, speaking up before Pops could. No one protested against this. Marco had too much to hate Teach for.

" _Zehaha!"_ Teach laughed.  _"What's wrong, commander? You hate our kind, so it's not like giving Ace away would matter to you. Besides, he's gone now, and that was his own fault."_

"You don't know me, yoi. Not anymore."

" _And you didn't know Ace like I did,"_ Teach revealed. Ace  _had_  told him that the man had said something weird about that, but to Marco, the statements held no credibility.  _"If you knew the truth, then you would be thanking me!"_

"I don't care about any of that," Marco shot. "It's your fault that both Thatch and Ace are gone, and you will pay for it."

He heard the shouts of agreement rise up behind him, feeling the strength of his family's solidarity.

"You can run to the ends of the earth, but we will find you!" Marco declared.

" _You're welcome to try,"_ Teach replied smugly.  _"When you do, I'll be waiting, and then we'll destroy you!"_

"Just you wait, Teach. Just you wait." He cut off the transmission there with the push of a button.

It would take them a long time for sure, but Marco would not rest until it was done. With Pops and everyone else supporting him, things would be bearable, even if it was a tough road. This is how he would live: how he would live for Ace.


	21. Final Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The time for you to know the truth is upon us, and in knowing, I will give you a choice."

"I did it, Rouge!" he laughed as his eyes followed the tiny robot whizzing around the room. "I fixed it!"

" _I knew you could do it!"_  she cheered, voice echoing out from the speaker in his phone.  _"Though was there any particular reason that you decided to do that?"_

"Come now, Rouge," Roger said. "It was our son's favorite toy! Just wait until he hears."

"Wait until I hear what?" Ace groaned as he entered the room. He took one look at what was in front of him and rolled his eyes. "Oh that."

"Ace, my boy! You used to love this thing!" Roger exclaimed, pointing to the toy.

"Yeah,  _used to_ , I'm not a little kid anymore." Ace sighed, ignoring his father's falling expression for the most part. "I'm just here to borrow some stuff. Don't you have something to do?"

"But think of all the memories!"

"It doesn't really matter!"

" _Stop arguing, you two!"_ Rouge barked. Roger and Ace stared at the phone for a second, forgetting that she had been on speaker.

"Sorry, Mom," Ace muttered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry, Honey," Roger coughed.

" _Good!"_ she said, reverting back to her earlier cheeriness.  _"Make sure you two are home in time for dinner, and remember to clean your workspaces!"_

"Okay," they answered simultaneously.

" _Bye, Ace! Bye, Roger!"_ She hung up, leaving the two to a rather awkward atmosphere.

"I'm just going to grab what I need, and I'll be out of here," Ace stated, turning around out of the room, but suddenly stopping. "I could've fixed that myself you know. One day, I'll be better at this than you ever were," he declared, finally leaving to grab his supplies with those words.

Roger was silent for a moment as he processed those words. Finally, he sniffed proudly, "My son is all grown up!"

A hit to the back of his head brought him back to his senses. "Get back to work," Rayleigh sighed.

* * *

"I'm so close to being finished, Thatch! There's just a few more touches I need to make." Ace exclaimed after taking a swig of his drink. Being at the bar and restaurant his best friend worked at was a sigh of relief from having to be around Roger (he hated calling the man his dad), though really it was his fault for needing to borrow parts.

"Livin' the dream, smarty pants?" Thatch laughed, seeing how enthusiastic he was. "Don't overwork yourself though. You've been talking about this nonstop for months!"

"Well it's a lot of work, and you're the only one who listens," Ace said.

"That's not true. What about your mom and your dad?"

Ace's mood immediately fell at Thatch's question, causing him to growl something incoherent.

"Oh. Something happen?" Thatch asked concernedly.

"He was treating me like a little kid again," Ace sighed. "What right does he have to do that when he was never home when I was little?"

"I don't know what to tell you," Thatch admitted, "but it's important to your mom that you two at least get along, right? And hey, whenever you're able to make some money off of this project, then you can move out!"

Thatch's words had been strangely reassuring. Though his main goal wasn't about the money, it was a plus, especially after what Thatch had said. "You're right," he agreed. "Maybe I can get some place by the ocean."

"And spend the rest of your peaceful life without your best friend? What ever will I do?" Thatch gasped over dramatically.

"You'll survive. You know I've always wanted to go."

"That's true, I guess. Maybe I can come visit sometime. Make it a party."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I still have to finish up. Thanks for the food by the way."

"No problem," Thatch said. "Sorry I can't come and check it out though."

"It's fine, Ace shrugged. "I'll show you some other time then. Besides, I already asked my mom if she was interested in seeing it."

"Well then, make your Mama proud, Acey!"

"O-oi! Shut up!"

* * *

If only he had been faster.

Roger had been held up by the Marines, which happened often. He wouldn't deny the reason they were after him (obtaining a few things  _had_  been achieved in rather illegal ways after all, and they never liked his inventions anyways). He was able to shake them easily though, so those Marines still had no idea where his lab was.

The place was quiet. Everyone had already gone home for the day after all. He was only here because Rouge asked. Ace was testing out some sort of invention, and even if he didn't want Roger to be there, Rouge thought it was important for him to be. Roger was proud of him for that, even so. Ace was rather independent. He rented a space in the lab from him using his own money to work on inventions, and tonight, he was testing one out.

Something was off when he arrived though. He couldn't hear the voices of his son and wife despite the lights being on. But then the door slid open, he was rendered speechless with shock.

Roger briefly noticed the broken window in the corner, but he was more focused on Rouge who was collapsed on her knees, cradling Ace in her lap.

"Rouge! Ace!" he yelled rushing towards them only to see the truth.

They were both covered in blood, and there was hole that was driven straight through Ace's abdomen.

"My son…" Rouge whispered, stroking Ace's hair. Her eyes were cold and empty and her cheeks were stained with tears.

Roger didn't know what to do, but he deemed it unwise to pull her away from the body. He took one of her hands and squeezed it gently saying, "It will be alright."

But it was hard to believe it himself when Ace lay dead in front of him.

* * *

The funeral had been a short affair. Ace hadn't been a very sociable man. The only people who attended had been family and of course, Thatch, who, Roger admitted, had been the strongest through this ordeal, though he hadn't reacted well when Roger warned him to leave the city. His connections to their family had been made clear now, and he wouldn't be safe for long.

Rouge hadn't spoken since Ace's death, no matter how hard Roger tried to cheer her up. He wanted to get help for her too, but there wasn't much he could do without the government finding out. The shock of seeing her son- their son- get murdered right in front of her eyes was obviously scarring.

The shock was hard on him too, even if he and Ace didn't get along. He found great regret in knowing that their final conversation had been an argument.

Even still, he wanted to see Rouge's smile again, hear her voice. Ace deserved to live.

Roger had made humanoid robots before, but Ace's notes were amazing. He had wanted to create one that could think and feel on its own, one that reacted like a human did, as opposed to one that acted as they were programmed. Judging by the videos of progress Ace had left, it had worked too. It really was amazing. Ace had captured human-complexity in a single program, and Roger couldn't help the pride he felt at that milestone.

But observing it, he noticed that there were flaws.

He noticed it in the videos as well. Before Ace had given the robot, Marshall D. Teach, as he proudly called it, a physical body, he had been a mere AI, and he had often talked to it. Teach had said increasingly worrying things, Ace often commenting about how he would fix him later. Maybe the program had worked too well. What human being would react well to being told that they needed to be fixed?

" _There nothing else like me, right?"_

" _Well, not for now, but when I sell your programming, I'm hoping that it will spread to other models."_

" _What have they done to deserve it?"_

" _Hm… That's weird. I'll fix it later."_

Yes, Ace had vowed to fix whatever problem he had created, but he had paid for it. Roger had read over every single line of the copy of the code, and Ace had left out one vital thing: a code of morals.

Every robot was given this to distinguish right from wrong, but most importantly, it was left there so they wouldn't murder humans out of spite. Perhaps Ace had thought that he wouldn't need it because of the nature of the programming, but that line of thinking was a mistake.

Besides that, every aspect of it had been perfect for what Roger was planning.

He slaved over his work day and night, only leaving the lab to check on Rouge. He remained meticulous with every single detail, making sure that it was all perfect, that this robot was exactly like his son. His appearance, his personality, it all had to be perfect in order to see Rouge smile again. He had asked Rayleigh to fix up Ace's key memories, so they could pick up where they left off.

It was perfect. It would all be perfect.

Finally, he had finished. All that was left was for Rouge to see. His heart was pumping with the anticipation of seeing how she would react. Roger was getting everything prepared and ready, while Rayleigh was bringing over Rouge along with the final piece needed for Ace's memories. Unfortunately, they seemed to be taking an awfully long time, making him twist his hands in worry.

He finally decided to call when his anxiety reached he boiling point. Hearing the dial tone was almost maddening.

"Rayleigh, where are you?" he asked.

"I'm at the bridge. Roger, you need come here right now," Rayleigh said urgently. "Rouge, she's on the edge!"

He could practically feel his own heart stop. There was no time to interrogate Rayleigh about why he hadn't contacted him sooner. Without hesitation he sprinted out.

' _Wait for me, Rouge.'_

* * *

Rayleigh wasn't exaggerating when he said Rouge was on the edge. Her toes were practically hanging off, her beautiful, long hair mimicking the movement of the wind that was only a danger right now.

"Rouge!" he called like that time many months ago. He ran over to the railing. "Please come back over! I promise I'll make everything alright!"

Rouge turned carefully with the little space she had. Her eyes were washed with the same emptiness as they had when Ace had died. "Roger," she whispered. It was quiet, but he could practically hear the roughness of disuse in it.

But she said nothing more as she leaned backwards.

"ROUGE!" he screamed, reaching out to her helplessly. His wife- his beautiful wife- had been stuck in despair, and in trying to pull her out of it, he had neglected what she had needed most: some company, for him to be by her side. It broke his heart that he only realized it now, and it was only more heartbreaking to hear the splash in the river below.

Now, what was it all for?

"Gol D. Roger!"

He recognized the hostility of that harsh bark, and he footfalls of multiple sets of boots approaching. The Marines have finally come for him.

"You're under arrest! Finally, we've got you!"

He had nothing left to care about as they dragged him away.

* * *

_"Hey, Garp. Keep these safe for me, would you? My son's work and my final work, make sure it never falls into the wrong hands."_

* * *

"So now that you know everything, what will you do?" Rayleigh asked.

Sabo was speechless. After hearing the truth, he had no clue how to respond to his question. All that came out of his mouth was a dumbfounded: "What do you mean?"

Rayleigh pulled something out from his pocket, laying it on the table between them. "I have the blueprints and the memories. The Ace from back then could live again if you wish, but I'm sure with the core he had during his with you could allow your Ace to live," he answered. "So you have a choice? Will you fulfill a dead man and woman's wish, or will you bring back the person you know?"

Asking him to choose- to decide the person who lived and who stayed dead- was too much. It was almost unfair. Yes, he had been the one to activate Ace, but he hadn't known of the consequences back then. The code incident, being pursued by the Marines, and now this- he never thought he would ever get involved in something like this, yet this is what all his choices led to.

He had made up his mind.

"I'll take it."

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, seeming rather surprised at his response. "Really?"

"Make no mistake," Sabo declared. "Letting one Ace live and another one die… How would I ever be able to choose? They both deserve to live the life that was taken from them, so why not give Ace all of his memories back?"

"I see," Rayleigh said, suddenly letting out a laugh. "You're ambitious, Sabo! Are you willing to work hard? That will not be an easy task."

"Of course."

"Then go ahead!"

" _I will. I will do this because Ace deserves to live."_


	22. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, this all comes to an end. Wake up, Ace.

He was awake, which was very strange to him because the last thing he remembered was something driving through his body for a fatal blow. A hand? A drill? Both? Being killed twice was impossible, yet strangely, he remembered that exact thing.

He opened his eyes, and looked around, and recognized the small and cluttered space as Sabo's lab. It was nowhere near as large as Roger's lab- but why did he remember both? Everything was confusing and jumbled in his mind- familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

This was even true with his body. He felt strangely heavy, but at the same time his body had always been this way, right? He tried standing, and he was able to steady himself, so that was a good sign. But what to do now?

In that instant, he spotted an envelope on the desk. He knew it was his- his name was on it. He recognized the handwriting right away.

_Dear Ace,_

_I don't know if you remember me- much less if you remember what I am to you- but I've learned more about you in the past year than I ever thought I'd know- things that I never thought were possible. There's too much to explain, so I'll have faith that you will know and remember whatever is important to you._

_That being said, there are other things I must tell you._

_If this body is strange to you, I apologize. You've had this body for the past few years, and this is the body you will spend the rest of your years in. I'm sure you will be able to adjust if what I planned worked._

_If it is disorienting to remember what you once were, then I apologize for that as well. I thought it would be unfair to leave you without those memories. They were a part of who you were, and a part of an unfulfilled goal._

_And speaking of that, you have plenty of goals to fulfill yourself. Go. Live your life, and who knows? Maybe we'll see each other again if things work out, and for your sake, I hope it does._

_Because don't you have someone you need to go see?_

_Your brother,_

_Sabo_

_P.S.- I gave you some upgrades. How does waterproofing sound to you?_

That's right. Sabo was his brother, and they had become brothers after he had activated him. But now, remembering that seemed like Sabo had woken him from a long sleep. He knew now that was true, and he understood what Sabo was planning.

He was Gol D. Ace, or Portgas D. Ace as he preferred, but when he had become what he was, he had become just Ace.

Ace remembered everything now: his parents and how they had felt (but more so his mother), his best friend Thatch, his invention and how it led to ruin, his brothers, even his first and second deaths.

And most importantly, Marco.

Happiness welled up inside him just thinking of Marco, but there was a certain pain in remembering that he had let Marco see him die like that. There was a certain pain in remembering what Marco had promised him before had has died.

Well, Sabo gave him this chance, and he wasn't going to waste it.

"I want to see you, Marco."

His mind made up, he dashed out of the lab, shouting one final thing.

"Thank you, Sabo!"

* * *

It had taken a long time, but things were finally over. It was all so relieving, Marco mused as he stared at the expanse of ocean that lay in front of him.

He felt that had to come here after all that had happened. This had been Ace's dream after all. Ace would've loved this sight: the beautiful sun setting over the wonderful waves as the water lapped around his ankles. Marco would've loved to see his reaction.

It was hard not to think about everything that happened that led up to where he was now. The family had been given a second chance to get to Teach after he had mocked them over video call.

After a bit of rest, they had spent months searching and preparing themselves for a fight. Finding and defeating Teach was not an easy task, but it was possible thanks to everyone's hard work.

They were able to discover his true intentions as well. He had been shooting for some sort of twisted revenge and for a position of power and wealth. He had hated how the humans treated them, which was a common feeling, but still, his actions were unforgivable. He had been their brother in the past, but they showed him no mercy.

They had also been able to find out what happened with Squard. He had been tricked- tricked by the same person who murdered his family and friends: Teach. He had paid someone to tell him about Marco and Ace, and in turn Squard had fooled Marco with his own false information. It was hard to feel sympathy for him though considering how Marco allowed Ace to be captured by leaving. Relations were still rather tense between them.

But that hardly mattered to Marco. He was content with the way things were now.

"We did it, Ace," he whispered to himself. "You can rest easy now, yoi." He closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh air. Ace could rest, and now he could rest too.

"What if I don't want to?" The voice was unmistakable, but Marco kept himself from turning around.

"I must be hallucinating," he muttered. "There's no way you're real."

"I am!" the voice insisted, hands wrapping around Marco's torso from behind, filling him with shock. He could physically feel the warm embrace.

He loosened himself from the grip and turned slowly, eyes wide. There he was: the man who had died for him, and the man that Marco loved. "Ace?"

"What? Not happy to see me?" Ace asked, jokingly pouting.

Seeing that face pulled into an adorable expression felt unreal to him, but running his hands down Ace's arms confirmed otherwise. Ace was here with him. Ace was alive. "How…?" he gasped, unable to form a proper question.

"It's a long story," Ace said. He turned towards the waters. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Marco nodded slowly, deciding to just go with the situation. "It really is, yoi. This is your first time seeing it, right?"

"Of course," Ace answered, looking back into Marco's eyes. He smiled gently. "I'm glad I got to see it with you, Marco."

Marco couldn't help smiling back at him. The joy of having Ace here next to him was too overwhelming. At that moment, he knew what he needed to do. Marco pulled Ace close, making him gasp.

"Wha-?"

"You never got to hear me say it, yoi," Marco mused, touching their foreheads together. "I love you too, Ace."

He felt light when his declaration left his lips. Ace had said it so long ago, and he deserved to hear it back. It was how Marco truly felt after all.

"You remembered," Ace noted softly, reaching up to touch Marco's face.

"How could I forget?" Marco chuckled back, voice becoming softer as their lips grew closer until they touched.

Neither of them could think of a happier moment than that. Though the circumstances were unusual, they were together, and that's what filled them with joy.

* * *

"Did we make the right decision?" Koala asked.

Sabo shrugged. "I'm not sure if any decision would be the right one," he responded. "Ace's life belongs to him, and choosing a path for him isn't right in any regard. What do you think?"

She frowned, not expecting the question to be returned to her. "Well, we pretty much left it up to fate when we gave him both sets of memories. We don't even know if it worked."

"Exactly," Sabo said. "By doing that, we did what we thought was best, and that's the closest to a right decision we can get."

"When did you get so philosophical? Whatever. Let's go. The boss is waiting for us."

"Yeah, yeah!" Sabo laughed, turning around to follow Koala.

" _Go, Ace. Live your life!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this story! I've been working really hard on it and I'm proud of how it turned out.
> 
> I would love to hear what you thought of this! Thank you for reading!


End file.
